HE’S the crème de la crème for hundreds of households who depend on him for their daily pint.

But now “Milky Dave” Burnett is putting up a “gone fishing” notice after 41 years of door-to-door service to York communities, and looking forward to a rest after doing 11-hour shifts, day in day out, regardless of the weather.

“I want to sit down and do nothing, just for one day,” he said.

“I have never ever, done nothing. Then I’ll mow the lawn. I’m going to Ireland for some fishing and by the time I get back the lawn will need mowing again. I just want to slow down”

Shopkeepers and well-wishers from his round poured out their appreciation for Dave, 64, by springing a surprise reception for him as he made his last delivery at Acaster Road shops in Bishopthorpe.

“One minute it was quiet, then they were all waving and cheering,” said Dave.

“I had no idea – I was gobsmacked.”

Residents of Bishopthorpe, including the Deputy Lord Mayor of York, Coun John Galvin, praised the milkman’s devotion to his community which has seen him plough through snow and work through heatwaves to ensure his doorstep service. “I see it as a challenge, you get out and do it,”

Dave said. Now he is looking forward to watching the snow this winter from indoors, rather than struggling to deliver the milk on icy roads, when he has to walk most of his round because of the dangers of trying to drive his van on untreated slippery slopes.

“I see it as a challenge,” he said.

“You get on and do it.”

Dave said he preferred cold weather to heatwaves because, he said, heat sapped his energy, whereas moving kept him warm and gave him energy in the cold.

He delivered to 400 houses in South Bank, in Bishopthorpe Road and in Bishopthorpe, and is confident his customers will still receive their daily pint after he heads for a comfortable armchair.

Dave started his deliveries when he was made redundant in his early 20s.

“People always want milk, I thought, so I became a milkman,” he said.