AN anti litter group was delighted by the number of volunteers who turned up to help on a litter pick.

"Evesham people don’t stop at talking about their wish to see littering in town reduced.

On Saturday they turned out in large numbers for the 36th time", said Councillor Julie Tucker, Chair of Evesham Anti Litter Group.

The group litter picked the Woodlands area of Evesham and separately at Twyford Bank last Saturday.

27 residents attended including several young people and representatives from The Civic Society, Morrison’s, Macdonald’s and Waitrose. Volunteers collected 42 bags of rubbish, largely consisting of plastic bottles and cans, together with a few fly tipped items.

"It was a cold day, although fine, so we didn’t pick for as long as usual but we still managed to clear up an awful lot of rubbish. It is wonderful that so many people took part. We also received a donation of litter picking equipment from Morrison’s on the day and we were very grateful for these. I would like to say a big thank you to all who took part", said Julie.

The group was formed in response to the Evesham Town Plan where 1,200 residents responded to a survey, expressing their dissatisfaction at the level of litter in the town. The Anti-Litter group then came together, carrying out the resident's wishes by tackling the litter issue in the area.

Since this point, the volunteers picked 450 large bags of litter, saving an average of £2500 in contractor costs. To date, they’ve conducted 36 litter picks.

As part of their three-step plan comprising of ‘Environment, Education and Enforcement’, the volunteers are making strides in educating local people by working with both the Evesham Town Council and Wychavon District Council to change behaviour.

Not only this, but the Evesham Anti-Litter Group are developing connections with Tesco, Morrisons and McDonald’s, asking them to encourage their customers to put an end to littering.

Rooftop housing association are also offering their support in spreading the anti-litter message, joining the group on a litter pick on August 2.

Litter Free Evesham is being led by a committee of Evesham Town Council and involves Wychavon District Council and a number of other community groups within the town.