THE story of a tireless trolley collector battling wind, snow and heavy rain, has touched hearts around the world after being seen by thousands of people on social media.

Michael Cope, 33, who has a mild learning difficulty, works at Asda Supermarket, in Rawreth Lane, and for seven years has collected trollies in the supermarket’s car parks.

While many opted against stepping outside the house last week when the cold snap arrived, Michael continued with “business as usual” in the car park.

It prompted his dad Mick, 58, of Hockley Road, Rayleigh, to take a snap of his son in the car park when picking him up from work. He shared it on Facebook telling how Michael takes on the elements and rises above the abuse received from some customers.

This was soon shared, prompting more than 5,000 likes and 600 comments praising Michael’s dedication - and 435 shares ensuring his story got around.

Comments left by shoppers have praised his dedication and determination.

Lesley O’Shea said: “He is the face of Rayleigh, I always see him walking around town in all weathers with a smile on his face.

“He is always so helpful at Asda, you should be very proud of him, he works very hard and puts other lazy people to shame.”

Lisa Bence said: “He is so helpful.

“He even gave me his coat one day to walk to the car when rain came out of nowhere.

“He always chats to our children too.”

Sally Downs said: “I have honestly never seen so many positive comments. I only hope someone, somewhere sees this and he is given some award or recognition.”

Mick says he is overwhelmed with the reaction and says Michael, who is known as the walking man, and even sees his work as a way of losing weight.

He said: “He’s so positive, and just gets on with things.

“When people were complaining about the snow, he just carried on as normal.

“When I picked him up from work, instead of moaning about a day in the cold with the trolleys, he reminded me that he was right about snow coming.

“So I felt I had to take a picture of the moment.

“Raising a child is like a painting, you concentrate so much on the brush strokes.

“Michael is the painting, and it’s so good to see him recognised by so many people.”

Michael took the praise in his stride, and thanked everybody for their responses. He went on to praise “the kind management and staff at the store.”

An Asda spokesman said: “Michael is a very valued member of our team, a really happy-go-lucky guy.

“He is recognised by our shoppers and is extremely popular, it’s a pleasure to work with him.”