Veteran journalist John Ware who hung up his pen last year, recounts some of the more memorable stories he covered during 60 years on the Teignbridge beat for locals and nationals.

One of the most colourful characters in the ’80s was traffic warden Les Brockwell, who lived in Newton Abbot, and had quite a formidable physical presence and no nonsense reputation that earned him the nickname ‘Hirohito’.

When he was sent to sort out the errant motorists of Dawlish it attracted the headline ‘JUST WHEN YOU THOUGHT IT WAS SAFE’, prior to Christmas 1986 and read: ‘A cold shiver went through the spoiled motorists of Dawlish yesterday.

‘For some time they had been used to an easy going type of traffic warden who would rather persuade than book. But now the party is over.

‘One of the Britain’s most feared ticket writers, Les Brockwell of neighbouring Teignmouth, has been ordered to bring them into line.

‘He shot to national and international fame last year when he threatened to book a funeral cortege outside a Teignmouth church, and is now acting as a “flying traffic warden”. He will swoop on Dawlish at different times of the day.

‘And at High Noon yesterday big Les strode into town for his first showdown with the lawless motorists who have been parking on yellow lines all over the place without much fear of retribution.

‘From now on Les will be gunning for them, and aiming to bring the drivers into line, Teignmouth style.

‘Word soon spread that he meant business, and the first illegally parked driver to receive one of his glares, muttered “God help us”, as he reached for his notebook.

‘Dawlish has been without a traffic warden since the summer.

‘The resort was reduced to seasonal status after it was revealed that the previous winter warden John Bone had only booked an average of one and a half cars a month – the lowest rate in South Devon.

‘Frantic councillors who forecast traffic chaos, have been campaigning for the restoration of a full time warden.

‘The police have to spread their limited warden resources as evenly as possible, and reckoned that sharing Les with Dawlish was the best they could do.

‘Inspector Dave Pym, the Teignmouth and Dawlish police chief, said: “I think he will be quite a deterrent value because people will never be sure when he is coming.”

‘Les was tight lipped about his his average booking rate, but it is certainly more than one and a half a month.

‘ “I think I am fair and my main aim is to keep the traffic moving. But if motorists blatantly break the law then they must expect to be booked. I have never been to Dawlish before, and I am looking forward to the challenge,” added Les, who has been pounding the streets for 21 years and was one of the fist wardens in Devon.

‘Motorists of Dawlish, you have been warned!’

John added: Les was a reporter’s dream – thick skinned and seeming to revel in his reputation. He stood no nonsense from aggrieved drivers, but always tried to give them a warning first. And being very publicity conscious, he was very ready to ‘re-enact’ his booking of the funeral cortege for the cameras! He showed his softer side by dishing out Christmas cards instead of tickets the same year.