Luton Airport worker, 77, will 'carry on until he dies'

Graham Smith, 77, says he "loves his job" working in the body search area of Luton Airport

A 77-year-old man who came out of retirement to take a job at airport security says he will carry on working for as long as he can.

Graham Smith, from Dunstable, decided to retire at 65 after being made redundant from the printing trade.

He said he could not "handle" being at home as there was "nothing to get up for", and applied to work at Luton Airport after a year.

Mr Smith, who started in 2008, is now the airport's oldest employee.

"I will carry on until I can't do the job properly, but I don't think that will be any time soon," he said.

"I told one of my managers, I will probably die here.

"A lot of people think I'm crazy for doing this, but I'm happy to do it for as long as I can."

Mr Smith said the job had been a lifeline after Maria, his wife of 35 years, died in December last year.

Graham Smith applied to work at Luton Airport in May 2008 after not being able to "handle" retirement

Chris Jones, head of security at the airport, said: "Graham is popular, an asset and a true gent.

"He has a fantastic work ethic and is always reliable, setting an example for others to follow."