A good-hearted shopkeeper who sweeps the streets near to his premises every morning has celebrated 20 years of being in business.

Pathmanathan Prabhananda, 62, who goes by the nickname Prabha, held a birthday event yesterday attended by MP Stephen Timms and Cllr Julianne Marriott to mark two decades of East London Electronics Ltd in Cauldon Road, East Ham.

The business sells EPOS (Electronic Point Of Sale) systems to many companies in Newham with an ethos of ‘Service with knowledge’.

Prabha’s philosophy is illustrated by his personal commitment to cleaning several nearby roads every morning, something he has done for the last seven years.

He said: “I thought if I can be an example to others, someone else will follow. We need to keep the planet tidy because we are the guests here.”

Cllr Julianne Marriott added: “If at the end of every road there was a shop with an owner like Prabha, the world would be a better place.”