A BRIDGWATER born and bred music lover said he delighted to get the chance to turn his beloved hobby into his job after taking over West Quay Records.

Ian Nicholas has taken over the store which had previously been run for more than 25 years by Adrian Fraser.

Mr Nicholas said: "It has been a fantastic first week, we have had people from all walks of life come in, young and old. We have restocked and redecorated, brought in new memorabilia.

"This is my first record store but I have been a passionate record collector since a young age. I have thousands of records and this opportunity means I can turn my hobby into my job," he added.

The store sells all genres of vinyl records from 50's, 60's, 70's, 80's and 90's as well as records in today's charts.

Mr Nicholas added: "I was always loved visiting record stores, and I have always felt there was something more satisfying than rummaging through physical records, talking to other music lovers and unearthing a gem. You just can't get that from purchasing online."

Mr Nicholas has even made shelves out of old records.

"Bridgwater as a town is full of music lovers, and fortunately vinyl has been making a strong comeback over the past few years and is now quite in vogue even with a younger audience," Mr Nicholas said.

Last year was vinyl sales hit a 25 year high with more than 3.2million sold in 2016, and at least 30 individual albums selling more than 10,000 copies.

This in stark contrast to 2007 when digital downloads began to take hold and just 200,000 LPs were sold overall.

Mr Nicholas said West Quay Records would also offer bespoke framing of customer's favourite vinyl sleeves or records so they are kept in prestige condition.

"They would also be great as a decorative piece in your home, fantastic for any man cave," Mr Nicholas said.

For more information visit The New West Quay Records Facebook page.