West Oxfordshire council give litter pickers to residents as part of 'Great British Spring Clean'

The campaign organised by the environmental charity Keep Britain Tidy runs from March 17 to April 2 and is aimed at encouraging people in the UK to join together to pick up litter from the streets and the countryside.

In addition to the litter picker equipment, residents and groups can request an initial supply of sacks from the District Council to get them started on their clean-ups.

Cllr Lidia Arciszewska, the executive member for environment said: “We’re delighted to be supporting the Great British Spring Clean yet again. This year we wanted to make our support even greater by not only picking up the bags of collected litter and offering kit on a short-term loan - which we are continuing to do - but also by giving councils and residents the option of hanging on to the equipment on an extended basis so those with a passion for picking up litter can continue to do so safely.

“Whether an individual or a group, anyone will be able to order a grabber and keep it for as long as it’s needed. We only ask that if it’s no longer required the kit is returned to us so it can be used by others who may wish to borrow it.

“The annual Great British Spring Clean is a wonderful awareness-raising event, rallying people into action. Sadly litter is a year round problem which blights our environment, endangers wildlife and is a major source of pollution as well as costly to clear. By providing litter grabbers on a long-term basis we hope to support those ‘litter heroes’ in our communities who freely give their time, throughout the year, to make our district a safe and beautiful place to live.”

To request equipment, either for a one-off event or for longer, contact the Council’s customer services team on: [email protected]. Kit will be made available for collection from the District Council’s Welch Way Town Centre Shop, Witney.