FOR most 'paper boys' the daily round is one of their first jobs, a rite of passage into the working world.

But one Harwell paper boy - who believes he is the oldest in the county - has already had a successful career as an engineer for the Atomic Energy Authority at Harwell Campus.

John Hunt, a father-of-three and grandfather-of-seven is hoping he can be crowned the county's oldest deliverer of papers at the age of 80.

Every weekday Mr Hunt wakes up at 7am to start his hour and a half round throughout the village.

He said: "I did it for exercise really because although its not a big round, about 20 houses or so, there is quite a big gap in between each one.

"It takes me about ten minutes to walk between them.

"I used to walk to the newsagents, there is only one in Harwell, to collect my own paper.

"One day I went in and the lad did not show up, so it was all accidentally how I became involved."

Now for the last five years Mr Hunt has been delivering the Oxford Mail and the Didcot Herald as well as national papers from his trolley he wheels behind him.

He said: "It gives me something to get up for.

"And I always have a chat with the neighbours when I drop the paper off.

"I hope I can do it for as long as the newsagents let me."

His wife of 56 years Maureen is supportive of his 'career' because she gets an extra hour and a half in bed.

He added: "I'll make her a cup of tea before I head out and she can just relax until I get back."

Mr Hunt receives the standard paper boy, or media delivery executive wage of £5 per day.

He said: "I have said to the owners, please if you have a boy that wants to do the round give it to him.

"He needs the money more than I do."

Selvy Gunarajah and her husband Mureli have run Harwell Village News, where Mr Hunt collects the papers from, for the last eight years.

She said Mr Hunt was a 'reliable and very kind man' who would often volunteer for additional shifts to help them out.

Mrs Gunarajah said: "He has worked for us for about five years.

"He used to come in to get his own papers and then one day we had someone let us down and it just happened from there.

"He is always on time and is never absent.

"Sometimes people let us down with the deliveries but he will often step in and do it for us, he is a nice man."