THE family of a street cleaner with learning difficulties is appealing against a decision that left him without a job after the company "failed to take into account" his personal circumstances.

James Willson, 31, has worked in Salisbury city centre for seven years, emptying bins, tidying up and keeping streets clean.

But he was left devastated when the company he works for - the Landscape Group - announced he would lose his job, giving him one week's notice.

His stepdad Mick Brown says the methodology and criteria used to select those for redundancy was too rigid and left James at a "major disadvantage".

He said: "James is a well known personality in and around the market square, Old George Mall and Winchester Street area, standing out in his day-glow yellow uniform.

"He is known as a cheeky chappy, always willing to extend a helping hand, setting visitors on the right route to their destination and even helping people in distress.

"But having given good service over the last seven years helping to keep the highways and byways of our city in pristine condition, he has been forced to hand back his barrow and broom due to a restructuring of his employer’s company.

"He has been left devastated - the depot manager had to bring him home when he was told because he wasn't in a fit state to carry on working.

"He loved that job and being outdoors.

"The problem is that all the staff were graded against the same standards but James has dyspraxia.

"He hasn't obtained any qualifications during his time there, he doesn't have a driver's licence because he can't drive one safely and in an interview situation, he finds it difficult to articulate responses under pressure."

James, from Winterslow, has been given the opportunity to appeal the decision which his family are in the process of doing.

Mr Brown said: "We are obviously going to register him at the job centre and I will be making phone calls to potential employers who have a positive approach to employing people with disabilities.

"We will try to get him a job as soon as we can. He obviously wants to work."

A spokesman for the Landscape Group said it was unable to comment on individuals due to it being a breach of confidentiality but added that any appeal would be dealt with as an independent review, judged on the merits of the individual case.

He said: "The Landscape Group does its very best to be a good and compassionate employer, but unfortunately many local authorities are cutting their front line budgets and in a labour-intensive industry like ours means we sadly, on occasion, have to lose colleagues."