A NEWSAGENT who came to Keighley to find a new life after the First Gulf War is retiring after almost 30 years running his shop in Cross Roads.

Zahoor Mahmood Shah was working for an airline in the Middle East when the Kuwait-Iraq conflict broke out in 1991.

He came to the UK with wife Farida and young sons Hamid and Mohammed, choosing Bradford district because his brother was already here.

He found the shop in Haworth Road, near Cross Roads Park, and began a three-decade career in retail.

Mr Shah said: "We had to come move to England and we were looking for someone to settle. We liked this area and the property. It was my first time running a business.

"The boys were brought up here, studying at Lees First School then Hartington and Oakbank. They went to Bradford University.

"The business did well and we sold a lot of papers, but as the years passed it's gone down. We used to have six paper rounds and now we only have one now."

For the past seven years Mr Shah has tried to sell the newsagents as a going concern but was unsuccessful. He has finally found a buyer, and expects to sign the contract this month.

Mr and Mrs Shah, who currently live above the shop, will move into a flat in Allerton, near where their sons live. The couple have three grandchildren

Mr Shah added: "I'm going to miss my customers. They've been very loyal and supportive. I've never had issues, and I like the area."