“I’ve had a lot of people come up and tell me what a great job I’m doing; it makes me emotional and tearful but I really like it.”

For the past 16 years, the unassuming Philip Hay has been cleaning Rickmansworth High Street.

Every morning, the 34-year old rises at 5.30am and has his breakfast, before making his way into town to sweep the street and scrub the pavements.

While he has received the occasional “hello” and “thank you”, his invaluable work has mostly gone unnoticed.

But that all changed a week ago when a Facebook post celebrating his work received almost 800 likes and 100 comments.

“I get stopped on the street and people give me feedback and tell me to keep up the hard work”, he said.

“My favourite part of the job has always been getting to meet members of the public and getting to chat to different people, and people’s kind words have always meant so much to me.

“My family has lived in Rickmansworth for years and I’m just happy that I get to work in such a nice place.”

Watford Observer:

The post received a lot of attention online

His uncle, who worked at the recycling plant in Harefield, arranged the street cleaning interview for Philip when he was only 18.

But 16 years on, Philip said he has never looked back and hopes he can continue to clean Rickmansworth and Money Hill for years to come.

“I just plan to keep on going and keep on doing what I like, and I guess I’ll see what happens. Hopefully I’ll still be doing this in a few years’ time.”

A photo of Philip was posted in the Facebook Group, This is WD3, by the group’s creator, Danny Rolnick.

It says: “This is Philip who I'm sure you've noticed has been keeping Ricky high street clean for the past, wait for it ...14! YEARS! [sic] Next time you see him, say thanks. Or at least wave.”

Mr Rolnick said him and Philip have bet on how many people will come and thank him for his work.

He said: “I just feel like we need to take the time to appreciate Philip’s hard work. I see him cleaning the street every single day and he always has a smile on his face.

“He’s part of the Rickmansworth furniture and the fabric of the community, and just such a nice guy.

“The overwhelming response to the Facebook post was wonderful. It’s great to see someone who is always doing such a good job, with such a good attitude, being recognised.”