Johnstone man Martin Grady has gone on a one-man mission to perform a clean-up of the footpath between Ellerslie Street and Peockland Gardens in Johnstone to try and make it safer for local residents.

The Gazette reported this month how a 55-year-old man was left soaked in blood after the sickening knife attack, which happened at around 12.55pm on June 5.

One of the men started a conversation with the victim about cash before pulling out a blade and striking him on the face.

The attacker then grabbed the man’s white Samsung mobile phone and made off with his two accomplices.

Following the incident, local residents expressed fears over the safety of the lane, which is enclosed and shrouded in bushes.

However dad-of-one Martin, of Peockland Gardens himself, decided to try and improve safety of the footpath by cutting away overgrowth and clearing rubbish strewn along the path.

“I’ve been here for 14 years and nothing has been done to try and improve the safety of the footpath since I’ve been here,” Martin, a Royal Mail worker, told The Gazette.

“It’s become a hotspot for drug taking and drinking and I’ve been concerned about the safety of the lane for quite some time as I have a nine-year-old daughter myself.

“The lane is pretty sealed off, has poor lighting and the bushes surrounding are overgrown so you can’t see who’s there when you’re walking through the shortcut.

“It can be pretty intimidating but after the recent incident where a man was slashed there I decided to take action.” Police said the victim of the knife attack, who is not believed to have been working at the time of the incident, is still recovering from his ordeal.

But questions have been raised over a lack of lighting and security at the footpath, with many residents saying they are too scared to walk through it.

Martin continued: “I think the council should close the path and the one at the other end.

This would stop people using the area as a short cut and stop any and all trouble.

“In the past people have damaged gardens and cars then used the paths to run away.

“I think it should only be open to the people that need to enter the two cul-de-sac houses beside it.” A Renfrewshire Council spokesman said: “We have received no calls or complaints from local residents about antisocial behaviour in the area between Ellerslie Street and Peockland Gardens. The Renfrewshire Wardens Service carries out regular patrols in the vicinity and will continue to monitor the area. We will also arrange a clean up at the footpath.”