A man has battled back from depression to start his own business which helps bring smiles to the community.

Liam King, 34, lost his job as a builder in September last year.

He moved from South Woodham Ferrers to Witham in January and started taking Job Seeker’s Allowance and Housing benefit.

However, he did not enjoy having to take the handouts and suffered with depression.

“I had had enough of relying on benefits,” he said.

“I decided to pull myself together and get on with my life.

“I had done a bit of window cleaning in the past and saw a gap in the market for a traditional window cleaner in the area.”

Mr King set up the company with 26-year-old business partner Shane Cook, who moved to Witham with him.

Most window cleaners nowadays use a pole system, but they wanted to use the traditional method with ladders, soap and water.

According to Mr King, this gives windows a “super” clean, giving the company its name of Super Clean Window Cleaning.

Building on the super theme, they don Superman capes - which double as rags to wipe the windows - and Superman t-shirts to clean windows and do odd jobs around the house, including assembling garden furniture.

They specialise in visiting houses with sick children, and want to visit children’s hospices and hospitals too.

The company, which serves 48 towns and villages, has now grown to taking on an apprentice and another window cleaner as demand is so high.

But it’s not just windows the team, who now live in Cressing Road, Braintree, clean.

“We drive past the sign for Spa Road shops, in Witham, almost every day and it was filthy,” he said.

“One day I said that we should clean it as it wouldn’t take us very long.

“We dressed in our outfits and filmed us doing the clean.

“We are making more and more videos now and have cleaned signs for Braintree and Bocking, Cressing and White Notley.

“We aren’t just window cleaners - we are superheroes.”

He has plans to buy a van complete with lights, TV screen and bubble machine.