Derbyshire County Council is calling for volunteers to help spruce up their local communities as part of the Great British Spring Clean.

The national initiative, which launched on Friday, May 28, and runs until Sunday, June 13, is led by Keep Britain Tidy and calls on people to pledge to help clean up their local communities.

Derbyshire County Council has pledged its support to the campaign and is urging residents to take part.

Councillor Barry Lewis, leader of the council, said: “We are very privileged to live in such a beautiful county and I know that we all want to keep it that way.

“During the lockdowns one of the only pleasures we had was to be able to get out for a walk every day, with many of us relying on being able to escape for a little while to get some exercise and fresh air.

“However, as restrictions on getting out and about eased between lockdowns, especially during the warmer weather last year, it became very clear that not everyone was taking responsibility for their litter by either putting it in bins or taking it home. Some of the scenes of litter-strewn fields, parks and countryside sites were disgraceful and very saddening.

“Hundreds of people including myself take part in regular litter picks across the county every year as well as backing Keep Britain Tidy’s annual Great British Spring Clean, and I’m sure they will all pledge to help the charity meet its million miles of litter-picking target this year.”

You can find out more about the Great British Spring Clean here: https://www.keepbritaintidy.org/