Dorset Echo reporter Harry Walton is celebrating the publication of his 1,000th front page lead.

Harry (pictured) is the paper’s longest serving reporter, joining in March 1980, and to mark his special milestone he was presented with the original printing plate from his 1,000th front page.

Over the years he has covered almost every story imaginable, from foot and mouth to flood disasters, the Iraq war and the closure of the Naval base in Portland.

But he told HoldtheFrontPage that he still enjoys seeing his stories on the front page of the Echo.

He said: “I’ve been a journalist for 31 years, but I still get an incredible buzz from making the front page lead, or indeed from an incredible story.

“You have got to – otherwise you shouldn’t be in the job.”

Harry’s 1,000th front page lead revealed that Weymouth Beach Group is considering doubling the seafront’s sandy beach area through dredging – but he admits he can’t remember what his first front page lead was about.

He joined the paper after first working for the now-defunct North Herts Gazette Group, and says a lot has changed since he first began filing stories for the Echo on a big black cast iron typewriter.

He said: “When I first started the policy was to lead on national stories rather than local leads, but this changed when we had a change of editor in the mid 1980s.

“The type of stories we cover have also very much changed.

“There has been a notable increase in violence and there is greater public disorder.

“There is also a greater exhibition of wealth and house prices have rocketed.

“Alongside one of my earliest leads is an advert for a bungalow for £35,000, but you could stick a two or a three in front of that price nowadays!”