Veteran anchor Mark Austin is to leave ITV News after 30 years.

The award-winning journalist, who currently fronts the evening news, announced his decision to staff at the channel on Wednesday.

He was previously the anchor of News At Ten and before that worked as the programme’s senior correspondent for 15 years.

During his time at the channel he has covered both Gulf Wars, the Balkan conflict, the September 11 attacks, the Rwandan genocide, Hurricane Katrina and the Asian tsunami.

In a statement he said: “This week marks 30 years at ITN, three decades when I’ve enjoyed some of the best jobs in television news, travelling the world, reporting and anchoring on the biggest stories and working with some of the most talented people in the business.

“It was a great honour to present News at Ten and the Evening News for so many years and a privilege to be part of the great tradition of ITN journalism and all it stands for.

“I’m proud of what we achieved. But new opportunities present themselves and now is the time to pursue those challenges.”

It is believed Mark, who will remain in his position until the end of the year, will continue to work at ITV focussing on documentaries.