Tributes have been paid to a well-known Aberaeron waste collector whose body was found on the town’s North Beach on Friday morning.

Ceredigion County Council employee Clive Roberts, 52, was a popular figure in the seaside resort where he took responsibility for the community’s litter bins.

Mr Roberts, who lived in Llanwnnen, near Lampeter, was understood to have inherited some of the duties of well-known Aberaeron street cleaner Maurice Horton who retired back in October.

A Dyfed-Powys Police spokesperson confirmed officers had attended reports of a body on the beach at around 11.45am on Friday.

Aberaeron county councillor Elizabeth Evans told the Cambrian News the town had been "clouded by a sense of deep shock and great sadness".

A spokesperson for Dyfed-Powys Police said they were appealing for information into the sudden death.

“At this time, the circumstances are unexplained,” she said.

Detective Inspector Richard Yelland said: “We know Mr Roberts was working on the morning of 13 December, but his exact movements are unclear.

“He was wearing orange high-visibility trousers and a yellow high-visibility jacket while conducting his work in Aberaeron town. If you saw Clive that morning, please call us or speak with a local officer.

“Our thoughts are firmly with Mr Roberts’ family, as we try to piece together the circumstances surrounding his death.”

A spokesman for Ceredigion County Council said: “We can confirm that the body of our valued colleague Clive Roberts was discovered on the beach at Aberaeron at the end of last week.

“We extend our deepest sympathies to his family, friends and colleagues at this difficult time.”