Revealed! A new Womble for the dirty Noughties

"Making good use of the things that we find,

Things that the everyday folks leave behind ..."

The Wombles, the subterranean residents of Wimbledon Common, are back – with an extra Womble in tow. But this time, the Seventies icons will be recycling rubbish, not just picking it up. And they're moving beyond Wimbledon.

Inspired by the classic children's television series, a local authority in Surrey has asked its creator, Elisabeth Beresford, to invent a new Womble as a figurehead for its recycling service.

Waverley, named in honour of the borough that commissioned him, is a sporty Womble with a blue hat and is described by the author as "an eager fellow who makes the occasional mistake but always puts them right".

He is expected to be one of a whole new generation of Wombles, as 12 other councils vie to follow Waverley's lead.

Ms Beresford, now 74 and still writing Wombles stories, became involved with the new initiative after her son, Marcus Robertson, who lives near Waverley, was approached by council recycling officers.

"They asked me would I create a new Womble, and I thought it was a wonderful idea," she said. "The Wombles were always ahead of their time with the recycling thing. I hate this rubbish dumping business – I'm a great one for compost."

Ms Beresford, who is currently writing her autobiography, based the original Wombles on her own relatives. Marcus provided the inspiration for the most popular character, Orinoco. She says that her latest creation is more of "an amalgam" than earlier characters.

Sarah Jackson, a spokeswoman for Waverley Borough Council, said: "He will take to the streets and hand out leaflets and biodegradable pens promoting recycling. He's going to be a big success. You can only imagine how people are going to react when they see him walking down Godalming High Street."