The Colonel is keeping up appearances for Portsmouth in 1984

Putting his foot down, ‘The Colonel’ Michael Price pursued his campaign of stamping out litter around Portsmouth.

He may have been 72 years old but he was a powerhouse of energy and ‘on parade’ from 6am sharp.

That’s the way it was with Michael Price, who had been waging his very own ‘Posh Up Pompey’ campaign for more than a decade.

His philosophy was simple: ‘D-Day for me is Direct-Action Day – every day! It is no good going to meetings and talk, talk, talk, jaw, jaw, jaw. Instead of all the jawing, I want to see some action by the city council.’

They may have called him ‘The Colonel’ but he was never in the Army – he was actually a flight-sergeant in the RAF.

The Colonel’s upright 6-ft frame was as easily recognisable around Portsmouth and Southsea as any corporation bus. Wherever he was, there was some reason for it. He said: ‘It’s up to every individual to speak up or at least get their councillors to do something when they come across something that’s not in keeping with the environment.’