A phantom cleaner is running a one-man campaign in the dead of night to keep his town's streets tidy.

CCTV cameras have detected the odd goings-on in the night in Kettering, Northamptonshire.

A man dressed in black, his face hidden with a cowboy hat and scarf, has been spotted in the early hours picking up litter.

The mystery Mr Mop, who calls himself The Phantom, comes in the dead of night and leaves his calling cards in the emptied bins.

He had a broom with him and some black bags

Shop manager Pauline Tregidga

His name is on the lips of nearly everyone on the Brambleside estate.

The Phantom has been working at night for the last three weeks - sweeping the streets, picking up rubbish and emptying bins near shops on the estate.

But his secret forays have been caught on the shops' CCTV cameras.

The intrigued manager of the One Stop Shop, Pauline Tregidga, said: "One morning when I came down to open up I found the floor was swept clean.

Notes on bins

"After that I looked every morning. The bins had been emptied and the whole place had been swept.

"I decided to have a look on my CCTV after one morning I found a note stuck on every bin.

The Phantom's calling card

"The note said 'Keep Brambleside Tidy. Best wishes The Phantom'.

"I saw someone come along in a coat with a cowboy hat on and a scarf round his face.

"He had a broom with him and some black bags."

And it seems the mystery cleaner is following a trend. Not far away he has an ally.

In Northampton there is another voluntary street cleaner who likes to remain anonymous but calls himself Mr Clean.