THE leader of Worcester City Council got his hands dirty by spending a morning with the new neighbourhood cleansing team.

Simon Geraghty took to the streets around the Wyld’s Lane, Midland Road and Tallow Hill areas to see first-hand the issues that the team faces in its daily work.

Mr Geraghty said the ‘back to the floor’ session started with a briefing at 9am and finished about 12.30pm.

He said: “It was very interesting to see what staff have to deal with.

"I could see the benefits of having people with different specialties working together, for example the parks team using their equipment to blow leaves out from under the cars.

“We collected a lot of rubbish. It gave me an opportunity to see what the main issues are and how we can help.

"I have got a lot of admiration for the team and they have a good sense of camaraderie.”

Mr Geraghty said all cabinet members will be taking part in similar activities over the next few months.