World’s oldest sweet shop put on sale as owner seeks to be elected police boss instead

Keith Tordoff looks to swap rhubarb and custards for crime and fire

Keith Tordoff at The Oldest Sweet Shop In The World (Keith Tordoff)

The world's oldest sweet shop has been put up for sale in North Yorkshire after its owner launched a campaign to be elected the county’s next police, fire and crime commissioner.

The Patley Bridge store – founded in 1827 and simply called The Oldest Sweet Shop In The World – has been run by one-time detective Keith Tordoff for more than 20 years.

But now the former West Yorkshire Police CID officer is set to leave behind his retro jars and vintage measuring scales so he can instead sell himself to the region’s voters.

And, if police and fire is quite the change from rhubarb and custards, the 63-year-old MBE is convinced he can be equally effective leading the emergency services.

“I’ve a proven track record of succeeding and achieving at the things I set out to do,” he told The Independent. “I know first-hand about policing and first-hand about managing successful organisations, which are the exact qualities needed.”

He will stand in May’s elections as an independent for the role, which would give him powers over the area’s police and fire services.

“It’s not been an easy decision to make,” said Mr Tordoff, who worked on the Yorkshire Ripper case as a young beat bobby before rising to lead a firearms unit. “Running this shop has been a joy.

"My parents brought me here for sweets when I was a boy so getting the chance to buy it and then run it with my wife and own son was a dream come true.”

And, as he now tours the county campaigning on a promise to get tough on anti social behaviour and drug crimes, he still expects to field plenty of questions about his shop.

“People are fascinated by it,” the former chairman of Nidderdale Chamber of Trade says. “And why wouldn’t they be? We all love sweets, don’t we? I give talks about confectionery in my spare time. I’m always asked what our most popular range is.”

And the answer? “Rhubarb and custard,” he says. “You see, you think they’re old-fashioned but what happens is grandparents come in, buy their grandchildren what they used to have themselves and then the kids fall in love with them too.”

It’s the same with chocolate mice and pear drops too, apparently.

He hopes to sell the shop – which was validated in 2014 by Guinness World Records – for £399,000.