Legendary Sussex illustrator Raymond Briggs has resurrected his Bloomin' Father Christmas character for yuletide stamps.

The Royal Mail's Christmas stamp collection will feature the much-loved grumpy Santa making rooftop deliveries in a variety of weather conditions.

Mr Briggs, 70, who lives near Ditchling, is best known by generations of fans for his books, which have been adapted into animated films, such as Fungus The Bogeyman, The Snowman and When The Wind Blows.

His less-than-jolly Father Christmas character, who grumbles "Bloomin" while delivering presents, was also made into an film, with comedian Mel Smith performing the lead character's voice.

Mr Briggs said: "The Royal Mail got in touch because they wanted to use the Father Christmas character I created in 1973.

"I was not keen to do it because it would mean digging up a character that is 30 years old. But they twisted my arms and made me do it - the swines."

Illustrating stamps presented more than a challenge for Mr Briggs.

He said: "At first it was quite difficult to do because I was going to have him as he was in the book; in the bathroom, on the lavatory.

"But you could not have that on a stamp with the Queen's head looking down. I kept him on the rooftops trying to deliver with the theme of the weather.

"It was also difficult because I had to take it down to a one-inch size. It's so tiny, any expression is not visible and that was an enormous problem."

Mr Briggs' Father Christmas character was special to him because it was based on his own father Ernest.

Mr Briggs said: "The character was based on my dad who was rather grumpy in a humorous kind of way.

"He was a Co-op milkman and did a similar job to Father Christmas, who goes out in the cold and dark and gets filthy doing it.

"In my day, everyone had coal fires and everything was covered in soot in the Forties. When I went out to help him, my hands ended up as black as a coal miner's."

Praising Scottish artist and sculptor Andy Goldsworthy, whose designs featured in last year's Royal Mail Christmas stamp collection, Mr Briggs said: "I love his work. It is terrific stuff in full scale. But we come back to the question of scale.

"Photographs of his sculptures reduced to stamp size made them look like Woolworths Christmas decorations.

"Hopefully mine will be a bit more jolly."

The size dilemma prevented Mr Briggs using scenes from Sussex in his stamps but he has used the county as inspiration in his previous work, such as in The Snowman.