But after nearly 40 years of papering over the cracks, his colourful past has finally caught up with him.

The decorator was shocked to find a signature he left on the wall of a house in Brindle Close, Bamber Bridge, that he repapered on a job four decades ago.

He left the words: "Decorated by M.Quigley – 8/7/1968" alongside some doodles of a topless woman and a deer.

Now the decorator is back in the house with his son, James, 27, to give the paperwork the once over yet again.

Michael, 57, of Balmoral Road, Walton-le-Dale, said: "I can remember doing houses on that street, as much as anyone can remember a job they did all that time ago, but I cannot remember doing those doodles or even that house.

"I have come across them a couple of years after I have done them but never 40 years on, I would have thought that someone would have painted over it in that time."

It was homeowner Donna Peat, a friend of his son, who made the discovery when she was stripping the walls in preparation for the redecorating.

James, of Sandringham Road, Walton-le-Dale, said he was convinced she was winding him up when she called him with the discovery.

He said: "We could not believe it when we got there and found the writing on the wall, my dad always does it and now we put both our names on there. It was such a coincidence that Donna asked if it was still under warranty from 40 years ago."

To Michael, who was an apprentice for painter Eric McLean at the time, it was not such a surprise as he has always papered over his name on almost every job he has done in the last four decades.

He said: "It is a tradition amongst many of the older painter and decorators, you always sign off your work before you paper it over."

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