A TRANENT business owner has taken a break from valeting cars and has started cleaning and disinfecting bus shelters in the area.

Lewis Ward, owner of Saltire Mobile Valeting, was spotted in his hometown of Tranent and surrounding villages last week washing bus stops – something he started doing of his own accord.

The 22-year-old said: “No one asked me to do it, no one messaged me. It gives me something to do and gets me out of the house.

“The essential workers who cannot drive have to use buses; it’s comforting for them to see the shelters clean.

“It’s a couple of days of my time. If it keeps people safe, and feeling safe, it’s a good thing to do.”

The former Ross High School pupil washed all the bus stops in Tranent, starting at the Jet Petrol Station.

He also visited Ormiston, Elphinstone and Macmerry.

Using his car valet technique, he covered each shelter in snow foam, brushing it in and washing it off. He then disinfected the shelter, including the seats.

Some of the shelters were covered in graffiti, which Lewis said “gave me a right laugh”. Much of the graffiti was removed with his cleaning.

He joked that it was “the hardest work I’ve ever done since I closed”.

People who spotted Lewis posted about his efforts on social media, and he posted his own message on his business’s Facebook page.

He said: “I had 2,000 notifications come through on by business page. My phone was constantly buzzing.

“It’s nice to see it was well received by people in the community. An NHS worker even commented to say thank you. I didn’t do it to make me look good, I just did it.”

Some comments on social media in reaction to his efforts include “such a lovely, kind and thoughtful thing to do”, “well done” and “he’s doing a fantastic job”.

A spokesperson for East Lothian Council, which is responsible for the shelters, said: “We would like to thank Lewis for his efforts, especially during these challenging times when our limited resources are concentrating on essential works as part of East Lothian Council’s Covid-19 response. However, it is important to remind people to continue to practise personal care such as social distancing when at a bus stop and try not to touch surfaces frequently touched by others.”

Lewis plans to visit local ambulance depots to wash the cars of ambulance staff.

He said: “It’s my own way of doing the eight o’clock clap.”