A ONE-man litter patrol has collected his 250th bag of other people’s rubbish.

It was in June 2012 that Brian Cavill first donned a pair of heavy gloves, armed himself with a grabber and hit the streets of Liden.

He filled 17 bags within a month, 50 by that August and reached his century two months later.

The 78-year-old retired accountant, who lives in Ridge Nether Moor, has continued his quest to rid the streets of litter ever since.

Logging his 250th bag is an achievement he wouldsooner had not been necessary, and he is bewildered by the mentality of litterers.

“When I was a kid,” he said, “we had it drilled into us that you shouldn’t drop litter.

“If you dropped a sweet wrapper you were told to pick it up.

“My kids didn’t drop litter and their kids don’t.”

Not all of the litter he picks up is dropped by local people, though; the high yield of trash from his patrols along Liden Drive suggest plenty of people dump it from passing cars.

Although he’d be happier if people didn’t drop litter in the first place, Mr Cavill admits his patrol has some personal benefits. “It gets me out of the house and gives me some exercise,” he said.

“People appreciate it, but some think I’m being paid – I’m not.”

His patrols are voluntary, although he’s grateful to the council for taking away the bags he fills.

The last two years have seen him pick up a small mountain of fast food packages, chocolate and sweet wrappers, cans, bottles, cigarette packets and scraps of paper, but there have been some more unusual finds.

“There was a DVD player,” he said, “ and I found four wheels and tyres in an alley.

“There were also two teacups and a broken pot.”