A MOTOR trade worker from Clacton has finally completed his first book after three decades.

Philip Jowitt was encouraged by successfully contributing towards stories on BBC Radio and finally dragged his idea off the back-burner and created an exciting and humorous book, Honk Tonk and Curly.

Philip is well known in Clacton, having worked locally in the motor trade since 1976.

Signed copies of his book, which is aimed at older children, are on sale at WH Smith in Clacton and Caxton Books in Frinton, ahead of the book’s official publication date on June 1.

Philip said all the characters came from people known to him throughout the years.

One of the key characters was created and influenced by his own father’s service in the RAF.

When his father died in 1987 Philip inherited his father’s original war-time morse-code tapping machine and also the badges and stripes from his RAF uniform. That prompted him to include them in his book.

Philip said it took him over three decades to complete his book and he didn’t think he could have gone about it at a slower pace if he’d tried.

“It was like a Jekyll and Hyde situation within me,” he said.

“Half of me really wanted desperately to finish my book and the other half of me encouraged me to do anything other than sitting down and writing it.”

But following a near brush with death regarding his health last year, Philip decided to finally complete the book.

The novel, which costs £6.99, follows two 11-year-olds who come in for the shock of their lives after staring as part-time helpers on a farm.