Haworth is mourning the death of one of its best known residents earlier this week.

Thomas, the popular black and white cat, was put down on Monday after more than a decade as one of the village's favourite tourist attractions.

Tricia Tillotson, manager of the Haworth Tourist Information Centre, where Thomas was a regular visitor for 12 years, said: "We are all very sad, everybody you talk to is sad. He was part of the furniture."

Thomas was 15 years old and had met a number of famous people, including Prime Minister Tony Blair who he met at the Bront Parsonage in April last year.

Tricia told how Thomas had arrived as usual on Monday morning, but it was apparent that all was not well with the old cat.

She said: "He just lay behind the counter and put his head down as if he couldn't be bothered.

"He went out at about lunch time and a little while later a woman carried him back in here. She had found him in the car park semi-conscious.

"We rang his owner, who came and picked him up and we knew it was the last time we would see him."

"People came from all over the world for years and years and they would come in here and ask, where's Thomas? He was as much of an attraction as the museum."

Thomas's owner Gerry Hustler said: "He got cancer a couple of months ago. They rang up to say he was poorly so I took him down to the vets.

"He was an old cat. He didn't suffer. The children were upset and a bit weepy the other day, but we all were I suppose."

During his illness, Thomas even received visits from a faith healer, who travelled from Lancashire once a fortnight to try to save him.

Tricia added: "A woman from Accrington who has been coming in for quite a few years would bring him food. When we told her that he was unwell, she would come in every fortnight and give him hands on healing."

It appears though that Thomas may have a successor as a new cat recently began visiting the information centre.

The newcomer, called Boy, started coming in about two or three months ago.

"That was when we first thought something was wrong with Thomas because he didn't do anything.

"It seemed as if he had come to take Thomas's place," said Tricia.

Picture: Thomas meets the Prime Minister