Today's story from the Advertiser's archives looks back 15 years to the tale of a former policeman from Helensburgh who changed career – from cleaning up crime to cleaning up kitchens.

Here's how we reported on John Crockett's new venture in the Advertiser on October 7, 2004...

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A FORMER policeman has gone from cleaning up crime to cleaning ovens.

Helensburgh man John Crockett has helped a cleaning business to expand into Scotland for the first time.

Oven valeting company Ovenu has appointed John as a specialist franchisee to operate a professional domestic service throughout the west end of Glasgow and surrounding areas including Dumbarton, Clydebank, Bearsden and Milngavie.

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Franchisees located in the rest of the UK are already proving to be successful with a growing number of customers.

John, who was born in Helensburgh and stays in the town, spent 24 years in the MoD police before joining their Strathclyde counterparts.

Now he hopes to benefit from a gap in the market in Scotland - the oven valeting market in Scotland - which he believes has not yet been fully exploited.

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He said: “Before I joined I wasn’t really aware that this type of service existed.

“I enjoyed being in the navy and working for the police, but now I think the time is right to go it alone.

“Ovenu has been hugely successful and popular in England and I hope it will enjoy the same success in Scotland.”

The process involves dismantling key components of an oven (door, interior panels, fan and shelves) and placing them in to design-registered equipment which uses non caustic products to clean the oven parts.

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