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It is the end of an era in Norwich as one of the city's best known faces  is quitting the act that made him famous.

For years, The Puppet Man has been a familiar sight for tourists and shoppers, thanks to a simple yet eye-catching performance of dancing with hand puppets. Last year he added karaoke to the act.

But now The Puppet Man - AKA David Perry - plans to hang up his puppets for the last time.

"I'm calling it a day as there's a lot of abuse and the money isn't as good as it used to be. It's not worth me loading up the batteries and coming out," he said.

David Perry with one of his puppets

Famous beyond Norwich

The Puppet Man's fame extends beyond Norwich.

On Facebook, thousands of users claim to be fans of his, while videos of him on YouTube have been viewed tens of thousands of times.

He admits his act is not universally popular though.

"Although there's a lot of people who'll miss me, there's a lot of people that won't be sad to see me go."

Mr Perry claims that he will start a new job soon, although he said he couldn't discuss it because of 'confidentiality reasons'.

He also revealed that he may sell his puppets to raise money for charity.

"Some of them might be auctioned out, like Roy Waller (a snake made out of a sock) and Shaky Dog the sausage dog," he said.

But David's decision to move on to pastures new does not necessarily mean the people of Norwich have seen the last of The Puppet Man.

"There might be times off from my (new) job, but whether they'll enjoy seeing me in the street I don't know."