A charitable cleaning crew pitched in to collect trash in the west end while collection services were down.

But Richard Walker-Talbot, a driver with Talbot Enterprises, said that his family company could only do so much and needed help from the public.

He said: “We just want the people to be patient. We’re just doing as much as we can but we only have one small truck.”

“We’re trying and we’re sure there’s going to be other trucks out there trying to help out, but you can’t get impatient or get mad at the Government or us doing it fast enough.”

Talbot Enterprises, a small Somerset-based company that specialises in sanitation and recycling, has been collecting trash from Dockyard to Barnes Corner since Tuesday.

They were one of several private firms who banded together to help collect trash after workers downed tools.

Mr Walker-Talbot said that the generous act was nothing new for the company.

He explained that Talbot Enterprises had helped the public free of charge during of Government shutdowns since the 1980s.

Mr Walker-Talbot said: “My father, who owned the company and passed three years ago, was always telling us to help out where you can and to stick together.

“So, obviously, seeing trash all over the island, I understand that the Government can’t do the trash any more right now, so we’re just trying to help where we can.”

He added: “This especially helps the elderly — they can’t get to the dump, so everybody else who’s able-bodied can get their trash to the dump but the elderly can’t really get there, so who’s going to do it?”

Mr Walker-Talbot said that their services had not gone unnoticed by the public.

He explained that he and his two-man crew have gotten the occasional honk from drivers or waves from passers-by as a way of saying thank you.

Mr Walker-Talbot added: “It makes us feel good that we’re doing something to help.”

He also asked for the public to help lessen the load on both his company and other groups who are helping collect trash.

Mr Walker-Talbot said: “Most people have to try to get their trash to the dump.

“We know that people are going to complain about the rats, so the only way to avoid that is for everybody to help out.”

He added: “There’s trash everywhere — we’re trying to pick it up but it’s difficult and overwhelming, so we’ll try to keep it moving for as long as we can.

“We actually have a garbage truck but it broke down the first day we started, so we’ve just continued with our smaller truck.

“We’re just doing it because we want to help out and be positive. People just have to band together and get it done.”