There has been an “alarming” amount of crimes in the Clarendon area in the last month but one man is on a mission to keep his home safe and clean.

Paul Voller, 50, moved to Clarendon Street in May this year and since then has been trying to combat the amount of litter, vandalism and fly-tipping in the area.

He can often be seen with five or six large bags of rubbish which are provided by the council.

He said: “I don’t like living in a tip. The area isn’t covered by road sweepers so it gets missed. The road gets covered in glass so I said I would clear it.

“I just go two or three times a week and clear it on the main road.”

He said the Clarendon area was plagued by criminals, drug addicts and fly-tipping.

The latest incident happened on Sunday, November 8, when he was picking up rubbish dumped in Longfield. On his return, he saw that the telephone box in Belgrave Hill had been smashed and the phone pulled off the wall.

He said the alleys in the area are not covered by the council, so he has to bag it up and place it on the main road where the council will collect it.

He also works with district councillor Peter Wallace, who helps to make sure the council picks it up. Cllr Wallace said: “Paul is doing an amazing job to keep the area clean.

“He takes a lot of pride in the area, not only with collecting fly-tipping and clearing up for others.

“He’s been involved in cutting the weeds in the park, contacting our PCSOs about crime and getting involved with lots of other community projects.”

Mr Voller tries to take pictures of fly-tippers in the act, or criminals on the street to send to police.

He was a prison officer for 20 years before being made redundant two years ago, so this sort of activity does not worry him.

Mr Voller hopes to organise meetings with PCSOs once a week at Belgrave Hall so the public can talk about concerns.

Cllr Wallace said: “Due to government cuts to the council’s budget and the police, we are seeing worrying gaps in public services.

“There has been an alarming rise in the amount of crimes in the area in the last month: assaults, arson, vandalism, and it is at an unacceptably high level.

“It is the most serious issue in the area at the moment.

“The council needs to improve our street cleaning service.

“We need to clamp down on fly-tippers, make sure every street is clean each week and be involved in making the place better.

“We need to be proactive, not reacting to problems after they have occurred.”