A STREET cleaner's painstaking method of picking up litter is upsetting people in Upton-upon-Severn.

Rather than pay him to pick up cigarette ends with tweezers, it would be better to pay him not to come to Upton at all, said a town councillor.

The man, employed by Malvern Hills District Council, was a conscientious worker and was not slacking or stopping to talk, but he would even pick cigarette ends out of the debris left by the floods.

On one occasion he had covered about five yards in one-and-a-half hours.

"I like to think we are efficient and have councillors who do a lot of work for nothing," said Coun Roger Barker, at a council meeting.

"This man is employed to pick up litter. Council tax is going up considerably and it's an absolute blatant waste of money."

District councillor Mary Wilkinson said the man did sometimes use a broom, but she knew his methods caused enormous irritation.

Town mayor Eric White, who is also a district councillor, said an efficient job of clearing the litter had been done when a different street cleaner was sent to Upton temporarily.

"He is cheerful and he speaks and he uses his broom and the rubbish gets moved.

"I have said to the head of his department that we would like to keep him, but I have been told that we can't," he said.

Alexander Bill, head of contract services for Malvern Hills District Council, said the usual cleaner used nationally approved methods and used the wheelbarrow, brush and litter pickers at his discretion.

"Some areas get more litter and take longer to clean," said Mr Bill.

In addition, a cleaning machine made a weekly trip to Upton.

"I frequently visit Upton and the streets are in a good state," he said.

He was surprised by the councillors' attitudes because he had received no letters of complaint.