COLLEGE students are setting a shining example by cleaning up the community, says Darlington’s mayor.

Councillor Gerald Lee has praised the students of Darlington’s Queen Elizabeth Sixth Form College for doing their bit to keep Britain tidy.

More than 20 enthusiastic volunteers have given up their lunch times to clean up the streets around their college recently.

Armed with litter picking sticks, the students spread out across Stanhope Park and the neighbouring streets in search of rubbish discarded by “thoughtless people”.

The move came shortly after Cllr Lee gave a talk to students on behalf of the LitterFreeDurham initiative.

He said: “I was invited into college a few weeks ago to talk to the students’ union about the consequences of dropping litter.

“I was delighted when a couple of weeks after meeting the students they contacted me to confirm that they were going to do a litter pick themselves.

“The students did a great job and it was fun watching them spread out in search of rubbish.”

Cllr Lee and representatives from Darlington Borough Council met with the students to thank them for their efforts.

Urging more people to support LitterFreeDurham’s Big Spring Clean initiative, Cllr Lee – chairman of the organisation – highlighted the cost to local authorities of littering, saying it has increased considerably in recent years.

He said: “Last year, more than 2,000 volunteers turned out and hopefully numbers will increase further this year.

“Until people stop dropping litter, it’s essential for groups to help to clean up their own communities.”

For more information about LitterFreeDurham, visit litterfreedurham.org