AN 85-year-old man fed up with seeing drains blocked with leaves took matters into his own hands this morning.

Gordon Watts of Hamilton Road, Salisbury, went out onto the carriageway on the busy Castle Roundabout to clear the drains himself, causing concern for his safety from passing motorists.

Police were called but Mr Watts had left the roadside before officers arrived.

Concerned staff from Lifestyle and Mobility on Nelson Road gave Mr Watts a high-visibility jacket for his own safety.

Mr Watts said: "I was brushing the leaves off the drains. I think it ought to be done because we are always flooded.

"When it really rains [the underpass] floods and nobody seems to bother about the drains at all.

"I can't bear to see it to be honest.

"Leaves are a damn nuisance at this time of year."

Mr Watts, a retired undertaker, said he believed the council should be clearing the drains.

He said: "They have got the equipment and they have got the people, so why aren't they doing it?"

But the A36 is classed as a major road, meaning it is up to Highways England to maintain.

The government-owned company that manages motorways and major roads, formerly called the Highways Agency, has been approached for comment.

A police spokesman said: "We received a call shortly after 9.30am this morning reporting concerns for an elderly man seen cleaning the kerb with a dust-pan and broom.

"The caller had concerns for the man’s safety as he was not easily visible to drivers as they approached the roundabout."