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Dog poo vigilante Steven Heard is pleading for donations as he bolsters his campaign to keep Minehead clean.

Mr Heard travels around the town on a one-man mission clearing up dogs' mess, filling as many as 500 bags a month.

But now he wants to go off road so he can collect even more waste and a Justgiving appeal for £13,000 has been launched in a bid to buy a 4x4 mobility scooter.

The campaign has been launched because Steven, who is deaf and diabetic, currently rents a scooter but wants to buy his own.

He said if he's able to raise the money to buy the off-road buggy, he'll be able to clear even more waste from the town.

Mr Heard said on his fundraising page: "My scooter needs updating because I cannot reach some places in Minehead like the beach where people continue to litter and, out of season, irresponsible dog owners let their pets foul.

"I would love to be able to extend my campaign and reach further by being able to access areas like the beach, clearing dog poo and rubbish which is dropped and washed up along the coast line.

(Image: Just Giving)

"Being out on my mobility scooter I am not only able to keep Minehead clean, but it also helps me to get out and about, which I find hard to do due to my condition and mobility problems.

"This keeps me active and helps me stay positive.

"I am asking you, the residents of Minehead and further afield, for your help and kind donations.

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"Your kind donations will help me to reach my goal of raising the money to upgrade my mobility scooter to one with 4x4 capability, allowing me to reach the places I can't get to.

"I have to pay each month to rent my scooter and take no profit for all the work I do cleaning up in Minehead and the surrounding areas.

"I have recently featured on ITV News and won the award for Engage volunteer of the year for my work, helping to better the environment for us all.

"Any donations, no matter how small, will help greatly towards my new scooter and ongoing campaign."

At the time of writing, £155 has been raised from six donations.

Steven often posts pictures of the daily mess he collects on his own Facebook page.

He has also been known to spray messages around dog poo which has been left on the ground to raise awareness that it should be disposed of propertly.

He said: "I don't do this for fun. I do it for a reason to control dog fouling as every day I pick up around 15 bags a day.

"Do you want me to leave it all around the park?"

Steven's campaign of collecting dog poo was previously stopped by West Somerset Council in December 2016 after he was slapped with an acceptable behaviour contract.

The order prevented him from cleaning up waste for a period of three months.

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