Norman the gentle shire horse who won thousands of fans as he helped water flower baskets and clear litter across the city centre will go to pastures new when he retires in summer.

The giant grey - thought to be Britain's biggest working horse - will finally hang up his harness at the age of 17.

Standing at 19.1 hands high, he has towered above admirers who queued up to pat him.

And he and his fellow shires Henry and Noble have been huge attractions at Bradford Industrial Museum in Eccleshill where they give rides and displays.

They also earn their keep by being hired out for functions such as weddings and compete each year at the Great Yorkshire Show in Harrogate.

Norman and his team were saved by Telegraph & Argus readers seven years ago when they faced the loss of their cleansing jobs because City Hall bosses said they were too slow.

The future of the gentle giants hung in the balance because they cost at least £3,500 a year and needed the work to pay for their keep.

But the Council relented after a T&A campaign to keep them which resulted in hundreds of letters and e-mails flooding in supporting the much-loved shires.

Now Norman, who was bought by the museum from Whitbread's brewery in 1992, will spend his retirement at Barnsby Horses Home in Lincolnshire in a comfortable stress-free environment.

Museum officer Neil Hinchliffe said: "We are very sorry to see Norman go. He has been an icon and a mainstay at the museum. He has shouldered a lot of the burden. But now he is getting a bit like a grumpy old man and he needs a rest.

"He is very distinctive because of his size and grey coat and people across the city are always asking about him. But it would be cruel to keep him working, especially because of all the hills in the city."

Norman's colleagues Henry, 16, and Noble, eight, will carry on as Bradford Council's heaviest and most popular workers. They are likely to be back on the streets soon pulling the dray with the equipment to water the summer hanging baskets.

Norman and Henry made civic history after the campaign by pulling former Lord Mayor Harry Mason and his deputy Peter Lancaster to their civic service in Bradford Cathedral. The civic heads swapped the mayoral limousine for a Jersey wagon pulled by the favourites.