THE hills were alive the sound of litter pickers as they spent the day tidying up a newly acquired Teesside landmark.

Car doors, scaffold poles, deck chairs and bike frames were among the rubbish cleared from Eston Nab on Saturday when up to 50 volunteers climbed to the top of the rocky outcrop in the Cleveland Hills.

The Big Nab Litter Grab was organised by the Friends of Eston Nab, a conservation group formed after the 214-acre estate went on the market, who managed to raise enough cash to buy the plot.

Chairman Craig Hornby said: "We made history bringing the site back into public ownership and I think we've made history today because I don't think the place has ever had such a deep clean. It really is a sight to behold"

Trustee Maggie Gavaghan said "The amount of rubbish was unbelievable. We filled over 50 sacks with cans, bottles and all sorts, including discarded scaffold poles, deck chairs, two bike frames, three large knives and even a car door. It all goes back decades as a coke can testified - it was dated 1987."

The area contains Iron and Bronze Age remains and a monument made out of stone that was once a beacon tower, built in 1808 during the Napoleonic Wars, to warn of invasion.

The Friends of Eston Hills, who are devoted to protecting the history of the Nab, can be contacted at www.estonhills.info