DELIVERING THE GOODS.

YOU could hear the hoof beats pound as they raced across the ground.

And the clatter of the wheels as they spun round and round.

He galloped into Market Street, his badge upon his chest.

He was, of course, Ernie - and he drove the fastest milk cart in the west.

The Benny Hill classic zoomed into the charts in December 1971, just a few months before Birmingham's Mark Hudson began collecting milk bottles.

The record boasted magnificent lyrics, such as: 'Now Ernie loved a widow, a lady known as Sue. She lived all alone in Lindley Lane at number 22!'.

The one-hit-wonder remained in the charts for an incredible 17 weeks, enjoying four weeks at No.1 and helping Benny Hill to become a national icon.

Despite the musical tale of being killed by his arch rival, Two Ton Ted from Teddington who drove the baker's van, the single's success led to the golden age of milk deliveries.

Cheesy milk advertisements took television by storm, the most notable being Unigate Dairies' 'Humphrey' campaign.

The cliched slogan 'watch out, watch out - there's a Humphrey about!' became a firm overnight favourite.

Slogans and catchphrases continued into the early 1980s before the onset of UHT, which signalled the beginning of a massive fall in doorstep deliveries.

The only man now who still has a 'lotta bottle' is Mark Hudson of Kings Heath

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BIG HIT: Benny Hill made Ernie a hero