Managers at Havant Borough Council ditched their suits and rolled up their sleeves to see what life is like for front-line staff.

More than a dozen went out into the community and took part in council services, including collecting abandoned cars, cleaning the streets and answering phone calls from disgruntled residents.

Shirley Shaw, the deputy to the solicitor to the council, spent the day with the dog wardens and helped to rescue a stray dog.

Peter Vince, environmental quality manager, got his hands dirty with pest control, dealing with vermin problems and bee infestations.

Meanwhile Tim Lawman, building and maintenance team leader, became a parking attendant for the day.

David Bridges, head of customer services at the council, became a council cleaner for the day.

He vacuum cleaned the foyer of the civic offices in Havant.

He said: 'I found out that they work extremely hard.

'I found it how difficult it can be to vacuum a big area when you are used to vacuuming at home.'

He added: 'It gives us a better understanding of the conditions our colleagues work under. It's important because one of the council's values is to have respect for the individual.

'It helps us to respect our colleagues and understand what they do and how important their job is.'

The scheme was organised to coincide with National Customer Services Week, which was aiming to improve the service customers receive.

Councillor June Hanan spent the day on the telephones with the council's customer service team.She said: 'It was interesting to see what queries our frontline staff have to deal with on a daily basis.

'I had the added opportunity of meeting with some of our residents and hearing their views on the council's services.'