WHEN it comes to tackling fires, John Duff has seen it all.

Mr Duff's career as a firefighter spanned 30 years and he spent 19 years at Bolton Central Fire Station.

After years of dedicated service, which saw him save lives and tackle a long list of serious incidents, Mr Duff has now retired from his duties.

Mr Duff, who was a fireman at Bolton Central during his time at the station, was given a fitting send-off by his colleagues at a special leaving ceremony.

He joined Bolton Central in 1996, having been a firefighter in Blackley since 1985.

Prior to his firefighting career, Mr Duff was a Grenadier Guard at Buckingham Palace.

Mr Duff would regularly see the Queen back then, but it would not be the last time he saw Her Majesty.

One of the highlights of his firefighting career while at Bolton Central was being invited to a Royal Garden Party at Buckingham Palace, due to his work inside and outside the fire service.

As with any long career, there has been lots ups and downs for Mr Duff along the way — but he says he would do it all over again.

Mr Duff, aged 58, of Mile Lane, Bury, said: "It has been a fantastic career, which has been very rewarding.

"It has helped me develop as a person and I have loved every minute of it. I would do it all again — the only things I would change were some of the unfortunate incidents I had to attend.

"But all in all, I have got a lot of enjoyment from the job and I will miss it."

Mr Duff, who is married to wife Mel and has a daughter, aged 18, named Dominique, gave a speech at his leaving ceremony, while his colleagues shared their fondest memories of their time working with him.

They have described him as a model professional — and someone who was not afraid to have a laugh with his fellow firefighters.

Ian Ainsworth, watch manager at Bolton Central fire station, said: "John's always been very funny — he takes the mick out of everybody.

"One of his sayings was, 'If I don't like you, I won't take the mick out of you' — so he must have loved me!

"He was a great example to others — he never eased off or backed down in difficult situations.

"He will be missed by all of us."

Mr Duff will now turn his attention to helping rehabilitate young offenders at Canon Slade School's attendance centre.