OF trumpets and overcoats there is no sign, more fag packets and the aftermath of a passionate session in the long grass, but Wombling Ron Hayden is not a man to be easily deterred.

While there may be a shortage of discarded musical instruments and outer garments along Worcester's riverbanks, there's plenty of other rubbish for the city's Uncle Bulgaria to apply his litter picker to.

"No, I've never come across a trumpet," he said. "An Iceland shopping trolley is my biggest find."

Ron discovered that one morning as he was cycling to work and with typical gung ho, loaded his bike into the trolley and pushed it straight to street cleaning headquarters in the Butts. Sorted.

He is, of course, an honorary Womble, not a real one. A 6ft 3ins, 57-year-old human equivalent of those 70s heroes of Wimbledon Common, born with the same enthusiasm to clean up rubbish.

It wasn't always that way, because for 34 years Ron was an engineer with BT. But after joining Worcester Corporation as a "casual groundsperson" in 2004, his working day now revolves around what other people throw away.

His beat is one of the highest profile parts of the city - both banks of the River Severn, from Sabrina Bridge by Worcester Racecourse downstream past the Cathedral through to Diglis.

If visitors walk the banks of the river during their trip to Worcester, this is where they walk. And this is where Ron wages a constant battle against the flotsam and jetsam of modern life.

Today's throwaway society does throw things away. Just about anything. In very large amounts too.

After the weekend last summer that coupled the Elton John concert on New Road cricket ground with the Race for Life on Pitchcroft, he filled no less than 42 black bags with rubbish.

But that was really only half the job, because he also had to take them all back to the Butts.

"My handcart carries about 10 bags at a time, so it was quite a logistical problem loading it so that none fell off on the way back," said Ron.

As the shadows lengthened and he made his way across to HQ with his last load he probably felt like whistling a few lines from Sir Elton's I'm Still Standing. But probably only just. It's the pride in his city that keeps him going.

"Worcester is my home town and I can't bear to see it looking ragged," he explained.

"I enjoy seeing it look tidy and if I'm going to do the job, I'm going to do it properly."

Ron began his casual' career, emptying the golf bins on Perdiswell recreation ground.

"Perdiswell was my Wimbledon Common," said the man who quite happily refers to himself as an Uncle Bulgaria figure, although somewhat larger and more garrulous than the original.

Taking over the riverside patch brought him into direct contact with two groups of citizens whom some in Worcester prefer to give a pretty wide berth.

First there are the rough sleepers, mostly men, who spend their nights in a hostel and then their days on the river towpath, drinking and putting the world to rights. Frequently with colourful language.

"I have to say they give me no trouble," he said. "I don't seek confrontation, but neither would I shy away from it. Treat people with respect and I usually find they do the same to you.

"In fact, I've even persuaded some of these gentlemen to take their bottles along to the recycling bank."

Which certainly conjures up a wonderful image.

Rather more of a problem are the vast numbers of young people who descend on the riverbank from the nearby college, bringing with them the typical student attitude to tidiness, something akin to Guy Fawkes' belief in reasoned argument.

"They're just typical kids," Ron explained.

"They'd rather throw something on the floor than walk 10 paces and put it in a bin and of course, if you remonstrate with them you get the smart replies like If I didn't throw it on the floor you wouldn't have anything to do'. But I think we're getting there.

"It is getting better and the world's coming round to the point of view that it's cool to recycle, so there is some hope."

Ron is keen to point out that he is just one of a whole team of people who keep the streets of Worcester clean and tidy.

"I'm not some local hero," he protests, albeit his profile is higher than most.

"What we need is for people to take responsibility for neighbourhood tidiness, a bit like they do in Canada. We can't let the litter-louts and the kids take over the streets. We need more Wombles."

Making good use of the things that they find, things that the everyday folks leave behind.