A teenager has cleared more than 18 tonnes of rubbish dumped by fly-tippers on a country road after being outraged at the mess.
Daniel Lewis, 16, has been nicknamed SuperDan by locals after his one-boy mission to clean up the streets around Merthyr Tydfil, South Wales.
Dan set up litter picks and a community skip scheme to provide free skips to villages around his home town.
But his biggest task was to clear up a country road notorious for fly-tipping - and collected over 18 tonnes of waste that included furniture, children's toys and old clothes.
It is the third time he has tackled the spot known as Bogey Road in Merthyr Tydfil in the last year.
Daniel Lewis, 16, has been nicknamed SuperDan by locals after his one-boy mission to clean up the streets around Merthyr Tydfil, South Wales
His biggest task was to clear up a country road notorious for fly-tipping - and collected over 18 tonnes of waste that included furniture, children's toys and old clothes
It is the third time he has tackled the spot known as Bogey Road in Merthyr Tydfil in the last year
Daniel said: 'I was walking up near Bogey Road in Merthyr last week when I noticed there was a lot of old tyres and litter that looked absolutely terrible on the side of the road.
'I had already been up to this spot on clearances three times in the last year or so, and seeing so much of it dumped up there again was very annoying and frustrating for me.
'There was just so much of it, and to see how fast it builds up is crazy to be honest with you. I contacted a number of local businesses that have been helping me with my projects recently and we agreed to get it all cleaned this week.
'We started at around 7am with a grab picker lorry, and it took us a good three or four hours to get it all cleared and transported to a refuse site.
'I'm just hoping now it's done we won't have to go back to this spot for a good while. Of course it can sometimes feel like you're fighting a losing battle when you see the mess left just weeks after a clean, but I'm not going to give up on the amazing beauty spots we have here in Merthyr.'
Daniel said: 'We started at around 7am with a grab picker lorry, and it took us a good three or four hours to get it all cleared and transported to a refuse site'
He added: 'I'm just hoping now it's done we won't have to go back to this spot for a good while. Of course it can sometimes feel like you're fighting a losing battle when you see the mess left just weeks after a clean, but I'm not going to give up on the amazing beauty spots we have here in Merthyr'
Daniel already has a number of other projects lined up for the future around his hometown
Daniel, who has a passion for nature and wildlife photography says he plans to keep going with the cleanup of his hometown, and has a number of other projects lined up for the future.
Daniel also collected around 130 old tyres from the same area last week, organising for all of them to be disposed of with the help of donations from local businesses.
He added: 'I have to give a big thank you to all the local businesses who have helped me clear this mess up over the last few months, as without them providing free services or sponsorship helping with the costs of collecting and disposing of the waste it wouldn't be possible.
'Bryn Group of Gelligaer sponsored the tipping costs and allowed me to tip all 18 tonnes of waste for free.
'Hopefully people start to take notice and stop fly-tipping in the area now, as it will look a lot better for all of us if they do.'
Daniel also collected around 130 old tyres from the same area last week, organising for all of them to be disposed of with the help of donations from local businesses
Daniel added: 'I have to give a big thank you to all the local businesses who have helped me clear this mess up over the last few months, as without them providing free services or sponsorship helping with the costs of collecting and disposing of the waste it wouldn't be possible'
Daniel's mother Lesley Lewis is 'incredibly proud' of the work her son is doing - as well as to see the pride he has for the area he lives
Ms Lewis said: 'We're so proud of what Daniel has done, and it's amazing to see all of the hard work he's put in during the last few months to clear up the mess here'
She added: 'He's always been involved with volunteering projects and other things like this ever since he was young, and the pride he has for the smaller communities is what inspires him to do it I think'
Ashley Edmunds, 32, works with his father at TJ Edmunds and sons where they have use of a skip and grab lorry, and say the mess on the road was a terrible sight when they arrived.
'It was shocking to see it like that when we arrived, and to be honest this is just the tip of the ice-berg when it comes to fly-tipping in Merthyr at the moment. It's an issue that does seem to be getting worse as more and more people keep leaving their waste on the mountains,' he said.
Daniel's mother Lesley Lewis is 'incredibly proud' of the work her son is doing - as well as to see the pride he has for the area he lives.
She said: 'We're so proud of what Daniel has done, and it's amazing to see all of the hard work he's put in during the last few months to clear up the mess here.
'He's always been involved with volunteering projects and other things like this ever since he was young, and the pride he has for the smaller communities is what inspires him to do it I think.
'It's very important to talk about the issue of fly-tipping, and highlight how bad it has become.'
