Tributes have been paid to Charles Quant, former chief Welsh affairs correspondent of the Daily Post, who has died aged 88.

He had worked for the newspaper for 50 years, ending his writing career for the newspaper as a columnist just short of his 80th birthday.

He had been awarded the MBE for services to the community and was a Lieutenant of the Victorian Order for his service to the Prince of Wales, having acted as a member of the Prince of Wales Committee for 25 years.

Charles had joined the Daily Post in 1949 after first working for the Shrewsbury Chronicle group.

He began on the Welsh edition of the Post and after a few years moved to Liverpool, later becoming news editor.

During his time as chief correspondent for Welsh Affairs he also reported from further afield, on wars in Malaya, Cyprus, Kenya and Yemen, and crossed the Sahara from Tripoli to Chad with Merseyside Royal Artillerymen, testing vehicles in extreme conditions.

His son Theo said: "He said he was proud to have worked for the Daily Post and it wasn't difficult to turn down jobs on the nationals.

"He considered the people in his life, as a journalist the people who read the paper, as a councillor the people who he represented, in reality it was everyone in Wales, and there seemed there wasn't a thing about Wales he didn't know.

"He was also an enormously practical man who built stone walls and carved and turned wood and built large chunks of the house he lived in."

In one article for the Post, Charles wrote: "Fifty years with the Daily Post, gone, just like that. Looking back, well, it's been hard work, terrifically enjoyable.

"I would recommend journalism to anyone – provided they have the stamina."

Daily Post editor Rob Irvine said: "I’m sure journalists across Wales will join me in paying tribute to a man who travelled the world in search of the best stories."

Charles leaves his wife of 13 years Rosemary, son Theo, daughter Gina and two grandchildren. His first wife Joy died in 1990.