Loyal customers are struggling with the steep stairs at a long-established Hitchin hair salon – and that’s one reason why owner Tony Huckle has decided to step down at the age of 82.

Anthony’s Hairdressers in Cambridge Road will be welcoming its last appointment at the end of the month.

Tony said this week: “I am sad to be closing but many of our clients are now having trouble with our stairs. We will leave with very happy memories.”

Carol Warren and Ann Webb have worked for Tony for 36 years.

Carol said: “It’s very sad we are closing. Ann and I worked together at my aunt’s shop on Radcliffe Road 40 years ago and then we brought all our customers with us.

“It’s been great working with Ann – we are best friends. We’ve never had a falling out or a cross word in all the time we’ve worked together.

“It’s lovely working next to your best friend.

“We’re not looking forward to leaving. We are friends with our customers, and we will still going to keep in touch with them. A lot of them want us to visit them in their homes to do their hair in the future.

“We are also going to help out with some of the older ones.

“I’m very sad. But it will be nice to have Saturdays off after four decades of working over the weekend.

“Life is there to be lived and I am looking forward to enjoying my retirement and going on a cruise.

“We’d like to say a really big thank you to all our loyal customers who have supported us throughout the years.

“We’ve got some very steep stairs they need to negotiate to get to our salon and they are practically on their knees when they get up to us – so on behalf of all of us here we say a heartfelt thank you.

“We aren’t planning to have a goodbye drink – with the stairs we’ve got here I’m not sure if some of our customers would be able to walk down them after a glass of bubbly!”

Ann added: “There will be tears all round when we close.

“Carol and I are friends outside work and socialise with each other. Our families know each other and we even used to go dancing – although there’s not much dancing going on now!”

The hairdressers will open for the last time on Saturday, January 31.