Former Olympic star, 80, falls foul of health and safety after running wrong way up escalator

In his heyday, he was a medal-winning athlete who competed in three Olympic Games.

Peter Hildreth honed his skills for the 110 metres hurdles in the 1950s by running the wrong way up escalators.

However, when he tried to recreate the feat to prove he still has what it takes as he turns 80, he hit a major obstacle.

The father-of-two was caught doing his unconventional sprint at his local department store and threatened with a lifetime ban for breaking safety rules.

'I started doing it last month because I was turning 80,' said Mr Hildreth.

'People did not see me to start with, I must have done it three or four times. As a young man I used to run up the escalator on the London Underground.

'I started off doing it in bits and then did it getting on at the bottom.

'I used to do it about once a week as part of my training when I was not on the track or in the gym.'

After the reprimand from Elphicks in Farnham, Surrey, he has decided to hang up his running shoes.

His wife Carol, 62, was also not pleased at his antics, fearing he he could fall and badly hurt himself.

Mr Hildreth confided that he had also recently sprinted up escalators at Debenhams and Marks & Spencer in Guildford, Surrey.

Record-breaker: Peter Hildreth represented Britain in three Olympic Games

He said: 'I got on the bus and went to try it in Marks & Spencer – it's a good 12 steps higher. I went up it straight away. I then turned around and caught the same bus home – I had been so quick, it was still waiting there!'

Mr Hildreth represented Britain at the 1952, 1956 and 1960 Olympics. He won bronze in the 1950 European Championships and five times equalled the UK record for the 110m of 14.3 seconds.

After retiring from athletics in 1960, he became a sports journalist.

Still on his marks: The pensioner was recreating his old training regime

Elphicks store manager Graham Duerden said yesterday: 'We have people aged 80 who go the right way up the escalator and fall over.

'We would not encourage anyone to do this anywhere because it is extremely dangerous and we'll get kids doing it if they see him.'

Mr Hildreth, a grandfather-of-five, puts his long-lasting agility down to a healthy lifestyle.

'I am 6ft tall but I only weigh about nine and a half stone,' he said. 'I have never drunk much and I smoked a little after I retired, but then gave up, and I eat well.'

Colin Jackson holds the current joint British and world record for the 110m hurdles of 12.91 seconds, which was set in 1993 in Stuttgart.