Tributes have been paid to a former Stafford Mayor who served the borough for more than 20 years – and hit the national headlines in his bid to keep the area clean.

Francis Finlay, better known to many as Frank, was cabinet member for environment and health for eight years during his 24 years at Stafford Borough Council, as well as being Mayor during 2004-2005.

As a cabinet member he headed up environmental campaigns at the council including the issuing of night-vision goggles to staff to catch dog owners not cleaning up after their pets, as well as highlighting the level of rubbish collected from Stafford's streets in a single day through the appearance of a 12 foot wide pile that appeared overnight in Market Square.

Following his retirement from the authority in 2019, he was made an Honorary Alderman in recognition of his eminent service to Stafford Borough.

Speaking on his retirement from the council in 2019, he said: "My memories of the council are all good and you remember the people.

"And we wouldn't be here without the good people who voted for us."

His community work went beyond the authority, as he was also a dedicated member of Stafford Lions, former council colleagues heard at their latest meeting on Tuesday (September 8).

They observed a minute's silence at the full council meeting in his memory, and the flag at the authority's Civic Centre headquarters has been lowered to half mast.

Mr Finlay, who lived in Brocton and represented the Milford ward, died peacefully at County Hospital on August 16, aged 91.

He was married to the late Jean, father to Simon and the late Lynn and had two grandchildren.

Fellow Conservative member Jeremy Pert, leader of the authority's opposition group, said at Tuesday's council meeting: "It was just at the last council meeting that we reflected on that Irish brogue that he had with the exchanges with Cllr Angela Loughran (who died in April) – and I don't think any of us expected to be talking about the pair of them again so quickly.

"Frank had many different careers and many different passions.

"He started in 1958 at Lotus Shoes – Lotus had a site in Stafford as well as in Northern Ireland.

"He rose in Lotus Shoes, becoming sales director in 1966 and managing director in the early 90s, where he finished his commercial career with Lotus.

"Not long after that he started on the borough council and served between 1995 and 2019.

"I was going to call him the 'King of Waste', because he was responsible during his time as the cabinet member for environment for 'night vision poo patrols' and also anti-litter shock tactics where he dumped a whole load of rubbish in the centre of Market Square.

"His biggest success was in the extension of the waste management contract worth £55m a year – it's one of the things that works for all of us – and when he finished on the borough council he left with a strong and positive legacy.

"The other thing he was passionate about was Stafford Lions.

"He was club president of Stafford Lions between 1988 and 1989, but he spent a lifetime raising funds for the Lions supporting the work they did.

"Frank was a character for everyone who met him and he will be deeply missed."

Council leader Aidan Godfrey said: "Frank was a long-serving and very popular cllr and I know him as popular across both sides of this chamber.

"He will be missed by us all.

"I got on very well with him, first of all because we came on the council at the same time in 1995.

"Secondly I used to really enjoy our conversations that we had in the members' room – we would speak about where he came from in Northern Ireland and talk about when I was working in Northern Ireland.

"I would also like to give him credit for being one of the founding members of the 'Old Mayors Club'.

"We would get together once a year and the last time I saw him was this year at the Old Mayors Club."

Mr Finlay's civic funeral will take place at St Mary's Church in Stafford on Thursday, September 17, at 11.30am, with donations accepted in aid of Asthma and Lung UK.

Enquiries to William Emery and Sons on 01785 251205.