RUBBISH strewn on the ground from the city’s takeaways is a regular sight around Worcester, so it’s great to see a local franchise taking pride and helping clear it up.

McDonald’s staff were out in force on Saturday to help pick up litter along Bromwich Parade, along with members of St John’s Colts football club and Worcester City Council employees.

The group collected five bags of rubbish from the area, which is a notorious hotspot for people dumping their litter.

It was all part of this year’s Take Pride in Worcester campaign, which aims to get people taking responsibility for the rubbish they drop in the city’s streets, parks and paths, while nationally, the company is involved in the Keep Britain Tidy campaign.

Trevor Smith, local McDonald’s franchisee, said: “As a local businessman, I see first-hand the negative effect litter has on the environment.

“It’s unsightly and no one wants it strewn across their local community, but litter is everyone’s responsibility.

“That’s why we’re delighted to be working together with Worcester City Council and volunteers from St John’s Colts football club to raise awareness of the issue.

“My restaurants in Worcester do a lot already on a daily basis with initiatives such as litter patrols, but these larger-scale litter picks are a chance for our staff and people of all ages within the community to tackle the problem together head-on.

“The event was a great success and a good example of what can be achieved if people pull together. ”

Malcolm Cox, head of operations at Worcester City Council, is delighted that McDonald’s has joined the campaign.

“It’s good because we want somebody to grab hold of the banner and businesses have a big part to play in that,” he said.

“I think the fact that McDonald’s has been very good in supporting Take Pride and has committed itself towards helping out is great.

“We are delighted to have such a big name on board and we’re hoping that it encourages others to get involved.”