A school boy has set the example of all examples after he got to work single-handedly shifting eighteen tonnes of rubbish that had been fly-tipped along a country road.

Sixteen-year-old Daniel Lewis has earned the nickname ‘SuperDan’ by locals after he set out on a mission to clean up the streets around Merthyr Tydfil, South Wales.

As a part of his selfless commitment, Daniel has organised litter picks and a community skip scheme to provide free skips to villages around his home town.

@Daniel Sam Volunteer / Facebook

And, in the last year alone, Daniel has removed over eighteen tonnes of rubbish and litter, most of which had been fly tipped onto country roads. The waste included old furniture, children’s toys and clothes and 130 used tyres.

And, upon hearing of Daniel’s mission, local businesses such as the Bryn Group of Gelligaer, started donating their services to help him dispose of the rubbish for free.

Writing on Facebook, Bryn Group said: “We were only too happy to be able to help Daniel with his quest. 18 tonnes of fly tipped waste is hard to comprehend and yet it was up there. Thanks to him it’s no longer blighting our landscape.”

@Daniel Sam Volunteer / Facebook

And Daniel, who is also an avid nature and wildlife photographer, uses his social media accounts to post reminders about the importance of preserving natural land.

He wrote: “Remember, it is not someone else’s duty to pay to dispose of your waste that you are responsible for.

“Out of respect to Volunteers like myself, companies who have provided the skips and services like Step Up Skip Hire and the beautiful countryside and farmers land, please think twice about fly-tipping and morally remember- YOU purchased the items to begin with, therefore it is YOUR responsibility to dispose of the waste correctly.”

We all need to be a bit more Daniel.

Here in the UK we love a good jaunt, whether it be in the countryside, around our local park, or on our way to work.

However, it turns out that our love for walking isn’t a global thing because, according to one American this week, our passion for getting out and about on foot is completely bewildering to those on the other side of the pond.

Taking to Reddit, the American user expressed their disbelief after finding out that a ‘thirty minute walk’ is considered a ‘short walk home.’

Brett Jordan / Unsplash

They wrote: “I was listening to an ITV true crime podcast yesterday, and the person said ‘it was a short walk home, about thirty minutes.’ Is that really considered to be a short walk home?

“I can’t fathom walking that far in the US and considering it anything I’d do just to get home. Do people walk that much in the UK?”

They clarified in the comments that they were being serious, explaining that ‘most of the US just isn’t set up for walking.’

“No sidewalks, crazy drivers, plus just distance. Americans don’t walk. Also, where I am in Indiana, there is no mass transit. Indianapolis has it, but it’s scarce and quite unreliable. We drive everywhere. As in, everywhere.”

@areksan / Unsplash

Of course, the post was quickly inundated by amused British users who all couldn’t quite wrap their heads around a world of no regular walking.

One person wrote: “Thirty minutes is only a mile and a half, you’re joking aren’t you? I take my dog longer walks.”

Another noted: “I can’t speak for all people, but I would hate to meet the person to whom a 30-min walk is considered some sort of unusually length trek of incredible proportions. For any normal healthy person it’s about 1.5miles.”

The NHS website states that a brisk ten minute daily walk carries an array of health benefits and counts towards your recommended 150 minutes of weekly exercise.

This morning, it was announced that the comedian Sean Lock had passed away at the age of fifty-eight after a battle with cancer. 

“Sean was also a cherished husband and father to three children. Sean will be sorely missed by all that knew him. We kindly request that the privacy of his family and children is respected at this difficult time.”

Since the devastating news was announced, fellow comedians have been posting their own tribute messages. His fellow 8 Out of 10 Cats star Jimmy Carr wrote: “Brutal news about Sean Lock today. I loved him. I’m watching clips of him right now – laughing & crying. I’ll miss him so much.”

Similarly, Ricky Gervais wrote: “Such sad news. RIP the great Sean Lock. One of the funniest, most influential comedians of a generation. A lovely man.”

John Bishop then posted: “I am shocked and saddened at the news of the loss of Sean Lock. He was a brilliant comedian but more importantly he was a great person on so many levels . He will be missed hugely.”

Scottish comedian Jane Godley reminisced: “Sean Lock off stage, sitting telling you a story that will make you laugh so hard it hurts your kidneys, is the best experience anyone can have.”

Susie Dent wrote: “I wish I had the words to describe the exceptional man that was Sean Lock. But today I don’t, and I think he might have liked it that way.”

Eddie Izzard mourned the loss of Lock by saying: “So sorry to hear this. Farewell Sean, you brought a wonderful comedic talent to the world and you will be missed.”

Comedian Simon Evans called the news ‘utterly, utterly horrific.’

Sean was best known for his role on Channel 4’s comedy panel show, 8 Out of 10 Cats, where he was panel captain. He appeared on the first eighteen series, opposite team captains including Jason Manford and Jon Richardson.

He also appeared on QI, The Last Leg, Have I Got News for You, and The Big Fat Quiz of the Year.