A WANDERING eco-warrior and his pet dog popped into Halstead to help with a litter blitz.

The town’s river care team were joined by Wayne Dixon and canine companion Koda for a clean-up operation on Sunday.

Wayne and Koda have been litter-picking their way around the British coast since February 2016 when they set off from Wayne’s home county of Lancashire.

Since starting their epic journey, the duo have collected more than 10,000 bags of rubbish.

Now they are in Essex and joined forces with the Halstead team for a busy day of sprucing up the River Colne.

River care team co-ordinator Eileen Penn was grateful for the help.

She said: “It was an honour, privilege and a pleasure to have them join us today.”

Wayne usually tackles littering on beaches, but said a lot of that rubbish finds its way on to the shoreline after beginning its long journey in rivers inland.

He said: “It’s not just the beaches – it ends up in the sea and is bad for the environment, bad for wildlife and bad for us.”

Wayne has a strong belief in local communities and believes residents have the power to make a difference to the environment.

He said working together on the environment makes communities stronger.

Wayne and Koda often take time to support community groups such as the Halstead river care team, and also makes trips to schools and children’s groups to teach youngsters about the environment.

Their coastal litterpick is is supported by independent environmental charity Keep Britain Tidy.

He is also fundraising for the Mind mental health charity and the Northern Inuit Society.