Ruth and Gordon Griffin think that Dave should be given a medal for his work cleaning up the streets around the village, which for the past three years have been left to litter-louts and fly-tippers.

Retired supervisor Mrs Griffin, who lives in Victoria Avenue, said Dave, of neighbouring Greviile Road, is a "friend of ours and a friend of Ore".

She said: "He cuts all the hedges back, clears the pavements. He and his wife Dawn are a fantastic couple. If it wasn't for them we'd be completely in dog-poo alley."

Mrs Griffin, 72, said that problems started when the takeaway shops opened on Old London Road, and now youngsters and grown ups litter Victoria Avenue when they have finished their kebabs and burgers.

"And you get lorries come down and stop by the estate and fly-tip - and the abuse you get when you speak to them.

"The council goes through Ore Village with the street cleaner machine, but for some reason it doesn't come up here. The council know Dave very well - he's such a nice fellow.

"They are not just do-gooders, they genuinely care."