A HOMELESS hero is being showered with praise by residents after going out of his way to clear up almost 100 bags of abandoned trash.

Bob Oath, 32, has been living without a home for about eight years and recently settled in Halstead due to the lockdown.

Suffering from cluster headaches and severe migraines, finding work has been a struggle for Bob.

Now staying at the Dorrington Hotel, Bob is being praised by locals after going the extra mile to clean up a field off Box Mill Lane.

About 100 bags of rubbish had been found on the site following the departure of a group of travellers who moved on to the field at the start of the month.

It is unclear if it was the travellers who left the rubbish behind or if it had accumulated before.

Bob said the mass clean up was a way of thanking Halstead and its people.

He said: “I have been homeless for around eight years.

“I have got my self sober and off drugs over the last few years.

“At the start of the lockdown I was riding round the UK coastline to start my own non-profit O4th Opportunities for the homeless, but was stopped due to Covid-19 and was sent to the Dorrington Hotel in Halstead.

“With 40p in my pocket to last a week and no way of getting any food, I asked on Facebook if anyone could help as there was around ten people in the hotel all in the same situation.

“The people of Halstead responded with food, clothing, things to cook and eat with and have supported me and the others through this lockdown.

“So me getting rid of a bit of rubbish is my way of saying thank you to Halstead for being such good people and making me feel like a human again.”

The mess took days to clear up with some of the heavier items, such as rubble and bricks, being taken care of by the landowner.

Since his efforts, praise for Bob’s actions has flooded in.

A Halstead Town Council spokesman said: “He is so grateful to Halstead for helping him during the pandemic.

“Braintree Council has taken it away as a one-off and it is hoped that they might find him employment. He will be receiving a letter of thanks.”