After a career which has spanned five decades one of west Cumbria's top men in the motor trade has retired.

Ron Batty, 75, has left B&H Motors, the dealership he first set up in the 1960s.

Originally it was based in High Street, Whitehaven but earlier this year it relocated to the Lilyhall Estate in Workington.

To begin with it specialised in British Leyland motors - which later became Austin Rover - but in the early 1990s it changed to SEAT, going on to win SEAT Dealer of the Year in 2007, 2008 and 2012.

Mr Batty has seen a lot of changes in his time at the helm.

When the showroom first opened, the cars on sale would cost about £1,300, a considerable amount at the time.

He said: "When we first sold SEATs in the '90s they cost £5,995 but now they are up to £35,000."

"The price of fuel when we started was about £1 for three gallons, you would not get that now," he added.

He has always been committed to good customer service and points out that this has resulted in several generations of one family making use of the dealership and has always enjoyed being a part of the trade.

He said: "We get a lot of repeat business - fathers to sons and now to grandsons and our premises is probably one of the largest in the county for SEAT."

The move to the business' current home came about because of a need by SEAT - which is part of Volkswagen Group - to have all dealerships upgraded. "We would never have been able to get Whitehaven up to standard," Mr Batty said.

"I need to give a big thank you to all the customers who have followed us over the years," Mr Batty added.

Mr Batty is proud of the number of jobs the dealership has created.

He said: "We started with just two, now we have 15."

"I am a bit apprehensive about retirement," he added.

His successor is Geoff Moore, a director at the dealership.