A SELFLESS volunteer who spent hours litter picking on a Sunday morning has spoken of how he received verbal abuse from car drivers whilst he filled 14 bags full of rubbish.

Glen Worrell, who is 49 and lives in Stanway, is part of a volunteer group called Colchester Litter Pickers, who go around the city of their own accord to pick up rubbish which has been discarded in public spaces.

The Facebook group has more than 700 members, with people regularly sharing the amount of litter they have gathered during their exploits.

But Mr Worrell was shocked by the reaction of some people who hurled verbal abuse towards him, and was dismayed when he saw much of the litter had returned on the stretch of road by the following morning.

“I follow a road to the train station which takes me on the Avenue of Remembrance – I couldn’t help but notice how much litter is caught in the bushes and the undergrowth.

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“I decided to do a litter pick on Sunday morning with two other volunteers – I started at about 6.30am and finished at 11.30am and between us there were about 12 bags.

“It’s quite risky because you have to work very near the road – you have to be either stupid, brave, or a bit of both.

“There was abuse being shouted at me from passers-by, people shouting that I was a sad case, which really isn’t very pleasant.”

Despite their efforts and community spirit, however, Mr Worrell believes many are taking the generosity of volunteers for granted.

“The litter shows a lack of respect and a lack of education.

“I find the council’s reliance on the goodwill of people in the community a bit too much – there are a lot of people who are good natured and want to do their best.

“We can’t educate everyone one what’s good and what’s bad, but we are relying on an army of volunteers who take time out to do this sort of thing.

“Without these people I dread to think what the state of community areas would be in – it would be pretty horrendous.”