Memorial mower man given new chainsaw

The so-called memorial mower man in the US, who trimmed grass outside famous monuments in Washington DC during a recent government shutdown, has been given a new chainsaw.

While most members of maintenance staff were sat at home during the October crisis, waiting for the Democrats and Republicans to overcome differences in health legislation to resume spending on public offices, a 45-year-old man from South Carolina made it his job to keep memorials around the capital looking as green as ever.

Chris Cox cleared away debris that was polluting areas where grievers remembered their dead war veteran relatives and it seems he has become something of a cult hero among Americans, according to the New York Daily News.

Dubbed the lawnmower man, or the memorial mower man, Mr Cox has now made it his goal to help disabled veterans take care of their lawn and maintenance work – something he was gifted a brand new, shiny chainsaw to help with.

Talking to reporters at a ceremony thanking him for his good work, the grizzled, beard toting South Carolina man said: "I bought a blower and a lawnmower [to tend to the memorial]. At the end of the day, the citizens are the stewards of the memorial."

However, jobsworth park wardens in the area did not agree with Mr Cox's efforts to clean the land up and told him to leave the locality or face potential arrest – something the man reluctantly agreed to.

But now, with his effort to help improve the gardens of disabled veterans across the country, Mr Cox will have a much more official avenue for his philanthropic mowing efforts and this is something local officials have heaped praise on him for.

Mr Cox normally works as a woodcutting artist and interested buyers can view his works on the Cox Carving website, with pieces ranging from $250 (£155) to $6,500.

We salute you Mr Cox and wish you the best of luck in your new challenge!