POSTMAN Tony Humphrys received an important delivery -- Blackburn with Darwen's mayoral chains.

The Shadsworth councillor was installed as the mayor of the borough during the annual council meeting yesterday.

His new wife, Jackie, whom he married in the council chamber just months ago, is the Mayoress.

The pair take over from Conservative councillors John and Sheila Williams,

The new Deputy Mayor is Coun Mike Barrett, of Darwen.

Coun Humphrys pledged to make himself available to everyone who wanted to see him over the next year .

Coun Humphrys joked about his job as a postman when he stood up to give his speech and pretended it was written on the back of a postage stamp.

Coun Humphrys was born in Hackney in 1944 and moved to Luton before arriving in Darwen, and later Blackburn, in the 1950s. He attended Audley Secondary School. From 1962 until 1977 he was in the 3rd Anglian Regiment saw service across the globe.

Coun Humphrys then returned to the area, working at the Lower Darwen Paper Mill until it shut in 1991. He was also the union representative there.

Also in 1991, he became a councillor for Shadsworth. He is now a union rep at the Canterbury Street sorting office.