A beloved ice cream man has only just found out he was mentioned in a prestigious travel guide and hopes it will give him a boost when summer returns.

Steve Dukes can be found during the summer months in Bucky Doo Square, serving ice creams from his converted bicycle in his staple colourful suits and has become an incredibly popular and well-known member of the community.

He was highlighted in Sawday's Slow Guide to Dorset in which Ella Perryman, of Sawday's said: "You can just stop and spend time talking to the man in his colourful suit selling ice cream from a bike in Bucky Doo Square, everyone is friendly and so happy to be doing what they're doing."

Steve was made aware of it on social media recently.

He said: "I had forgotten all about it to be honest and I had never heard of Sawday's before, somebody said to me I was on it.

"It was over a year ago they were in town and came and had a chat with me and it was all very nice. I'm pretty sure they had an ice cream, there was about three or four of them.

"It was a nice little mention."

Steve, who has lived in Bridport all his life, also runs a mobile disco, Duke's Disco.

He added: "What with the disco and ice cream bike, I know most of the people in Bridport. All day long there is always someone to stop and chat."

Steve has finished selling ice creams for the season and has unfortunately been unable to host many discos this year.

He said: "I usually start in Easter, weather permitting, but this year has been completely different and I couldn't go out until the end of June, you've got to be so careful with social distancing.

"It's been a complete nightmare this year – terrible. It didn't pick up like it should and I haven't done a disco since the beginning of March, I normally have one or two each weekend in a local pub or wedding reception, but they were all cancelled."

Steve hopes the refresh of the mention will give business a boost.

Bridport and West Bay were heavily featured in Sawday's Dorset guide.

Regularly referred to as 'Notting Hill on Sea', Bridport was complimented for its boutique galleries, art deco cinema, buskers in Bucky Doo, the arts centre, St Michael's Trading Estate, its historic market and wealth of delis, cafes and bookshops.

Rosie Young of Bridport Old Books is also mentioned in the guide as she pointed out that many of her South Street neighbours were also independent shops.

West Bay deserved its own section in the guide, being branded a 'classic snapshot of south coast seaside' with Rachel's kiosk being hailed a local institution and Sladers Yard café and gallery praised for its use of its 'atmospheric surroundings'.

Sarah West of West Bay Discovery Centre was said to have 'established a treasure trove of stories, artifacts and activities as an independent tourist information centre in a small chapel'.

Seatown also gets a mention, in particular The Anchor Inn, were it states you can enjoy a pint of Palmers in what was once voted England's best pub before heading back along the coast path.