Mopping model dresses for catwalk

By Jane O'Brien
BBC News, New York

Naomi Campbell stalked past reporters in killer six-inch stiletto boots, as sure-footed on New York's icy streets as on any catwalk.

Her head and face were masked by a black cap and sunglasses, her coat clinched her wasp waist and she flashed scarlet soles as she skirted the garbage trucks and disappeared into the city's sanitation department.

This is where she will spend the week cleaning as punishment for throwing a mobile phone at her maid last year.

Keith Mellis, a spokesman for the Sanitation Department, said Ms Campbell could be asked to perform "a variety of tasks.

"It could be cleaning windows, cleaning up our offices, mopping floors, going down the hallways - various tasks like that."

It had been suggested that Ms Campbell might like to leave her high heels at home.

An eight-hour day of menial tasks can be hard on the feet, and officials are concerned about her comfort.

They also say she will be made to wear a reflective orange vest as a safety precaution.

Dressed for the occasion?

But although the 36-year-old supermodel arrived carrying a pair of work boots there was nothing else that suggested she had dressed for the occasion.

Boy George thanked his co-workers when he finished his sentence

But she did bring a dash of glamour to a particularly bleak and rundown area of Manhattan's East Side docks.

Photographers remarked that the light from the rising sun was perfect for pictures, bathing Ms Campbell in a golden glow that contrasted with the filthy grey snow still lying in the gutters from a weekend storm.

She isn't the first British celebrity ordered to work at New York's Sanitation Department.

The pop star Boy George spent a week last summer sweeping streets when he was convicted of wasting police time over an alleged break-in at his city apartment.

"Boy George wasn't like Naomi - he was out on the streets - but he did his task every day and on the Friday he thanked us," Mr Mellis said.

Whether Ms Campbell will be as grateful at the end of her week is a different matter.

'Not cut out for cleaning'

At her sentencing in January her lawyer said she wasn't cut out for cleaning and would rather complete her community service working with patients at a local hospital.

At the sanitation depot she will work with other convicts and will be told what her duties are.

She will have a break in the morning and be allowed out for lunch every day before finishing at 4PM.

Meals are optional.

Ms Campbell has also been ordered to attend anger management classes - she has been accused of assaulting staff on four previous occasions.

At her first session she reportedly said she was really sorry and vowed to learn from her mistakes.

The New York Sanitation Department, for one, is not afraid of her wrath.

"She's not a threat - but she is a supermodel," Mr Mellis, the spokesman, said.

"And while she's with us we will take care of her. From what we hear she wants to do her community service and I think she'll have a pleasant week."