Residents of Old Odiham Road and Upper Anstey Lane in Alton have come together to tidy up their community.

Led by Gordon Anderson, the team of litter-pickers was made up of people of all ages, ranging from 80-year-olds to the newest baby member carried by dad.

The team was well equipped with high-visibility vests, pickers and bags, all provided by Alton Town Council. 

Children were especially enthusiastic and filled bag after bag with rubbish. 

One volunteer, Charlie, also offered the services of his ‘safety’ truck, helping to pick up the bags and some large items that had been dumped on the lay-by and behind barbed wire fences, as well as laying out cones to slow traffic.

The group worked tirelessly and managed to collect a “truly shocking” number of beer cans and bottles, which had been carelessly discarded.

Wendelien McNicoll, one of the volunteers, said afterwards: “However satisfying it is to see nature all around us looking beautiful again, picking up other people’s rubbish remains an odd thing to do. We owe a clean town to our children.”

Alton Society’s town-wide litter pick will take place on Saturday, March 25 at 10am.

Litter-pickers are invited to meet at Crown Close, parallel to the Alton Assembly Rooms and behind the Cairn War Memorial, and spare just a couple of hours.