AS DAWN breaks over Warrington, few people populate the streets apart from those delivering milk.

The scene is quiet and occasionally even chilling. There can sometimes be people lying in the street, or on the pavement, drunk from the previous night's revelries.

But as the dawn patrollers do their milk rounds, most of the work is a bright and cheery business.

For the old and lonely, milk men and women are a lifeline, bringing food and produce and friendly words and keeping an eye on their well-being.

Clr Albert Clemow and his wife, Jean, have had a milk round in the Manchester Road and Padgate Lane areas of Warrington for 11 years. In May, they will become Mayor and Mayoress of Warrington, and they are also retiring. The two will say goodbye to 560 customers.

The Clemows are happy about the fact that the decline in milk deliveries over the past decade appears to be reversing, and that the future for milk rounds looks quite bright.

In spite of getting up at 2.30am six mornings a week, they will miss the round, and many of their customers will miss them.

Said Albert: "A old man died while I was holding him, eighteen months ago. We saw him stumble and go down. He was in a state. We got an ambulance through a neighbour.

"Early in the morning, you see people lying on the pavement or in the road. They are coming home from night clubs, flaked out with drink, but unfortunately you can't risk helping them. They might jump on you and take your money. In this day and age, I don't check on them. I phone the police and sit in the float till help comes."

Albert has also chased away people trying to break into cars. "In some areas of the country, some milk men are trained by the police, but not here," he said.

Albert and Jean spend about four hours on their deliveries. "The most difficult thing is the shelf life of the product. The skill is not having any milk on your hands. You try to estimate what people are going to want." If they run out, they can always go back to the dairy for more.

Jean Clemow sees the milk round as a social asset and home shopping service.

As well as milk, the Clemows sell potatoes, eggs, cheese, bacon, bread, orange juice, yoghurt, water, and chocolates at Easter and Christmas.

"A lot of people rely on us. When the weather is bad, old people can't get out. With the things we sell, they could keep going. It might be a limited diet, but they wouldn't starve."

Doing errands such as buying newspapers and posting letters is all part of the service for Jean and Albert.

They keep a sharp eye out for details such as an old person's curtains not being pulled back, or milk still on the step from the day before, and always alert neighbours if there is any doubt.

Since most old people who receive deliveries are up early, it isn't too difficult to notice if anything is different.

Two customers are blind, so the milk has to be put in exactly the same place all the time, otherwise they can't find it.

The Clemows' milk comes from Waterfords Dairy at Howley and the milk round is a franchise from them. When the Clemows retire, the franchise goes back to the dairy to be sold again.

Waterfords is part of Avonmore Waterford, the fourth largest dairy company in the world, according to Brian Leonard, manager at Howley.

The milk is in bottles and cartons by the time it reaches the dairy and 25 staff prepare it for the roundsmen to load on to milk floats. The dairy has 45 doorstep rounds on franchise.

Waterfords also produce their own cheese and orange juice and the rest of the produce comes in from different suppliers.

Brian sees a bright future for doorstep deliveries. "I think supermarkets will go this way too," he said. "People will be able to place orders from their computers to supermarkets and milk deliverers. I think the future looks good for people with milk rounds, if they are flexible and will adapt to change."

He said that not all roundsmen liked to deliver produce along with the milk, but others were keen on it. "We have a home shopping facility. We try to persuade them to sell produce. The more you provide, the better the service."

Emily Rustage is 82.

Each day, around 7.45am, she looks forward to the Clemows bringing her milk, as she has for the past 11 years.

"They are really nice. I can't bend down, and they always put the milk in my hand. I am independent, but I know that they would do anything for me.

"I am worried that the next people who bring the milk won't give me the bottle in my hand. I will miss the Clemows very much."

Albert and Jean are part of a support system for Emily that includes her daughter doing shopping, a neighbour doing errands, and another neighbour doing her garden. "I have good neighbours. I hope the next milk people will be as nice as the Clemows," said Emily.

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