RESIDENTS and businesses across Darlington are being urged to join forces in a bid to combat litter on the streets.

Darlington Borough Council is challenging individuals, community groups, schools and businesses to take greater pride in ‘Our Streets’ and work together to keep them clean.

‘Our Streets’ is a new initiative focusing on a zero tolerance to littering, raising awareness and education of the harm caused by littering.

It also recognises and harnesses “people power” to help keep the borough tidy.

Councillor Nick Wallis, the council’s cabinet member for leisure and the local environment, said: “With ever increasing pressure on local authority budgets, our StreetScene teams have less time to spend clearing litter that has been carelessly and thoughtlessly discarded onto the ground.

“We face a constant battle to keep our streets clean, and it is a battle that we cannot win without the public’s help.

“That’s why we have issued the ‘Our Streets’ challenge – we want people to take pride in where they live, to think twice before they throw litter on the ground and to take action if they see litter.”

Cllr Wallis described litter as ‘everyone’s problem’ and urged people to tackle it together.

He said: “If everyone picked up just one piece of litter every day, think of the difference it would make.

“Better still why not become a litter hero by becoming a Street Champion, joining a local litter pick or even organising your own event.

“Working together we can look after ‘Our Streets’ and make them litter-free.”

Under the campaign, groups who organise litter picks are being encouraged to share their efforts on social media using the #OurStreets hashtag.

There has already been a large-scale clean up in Darlington’s Red Hall which involved the Environment Agency and local residents cleaning litter and debris from a stretch of the River Skerne.

The Tees Rivers Trust is now working with Street Champions and the council’s Street Scene team to organise a series of litter picks along the river for The Great Skerne Scour tomorrow, to spruce up the riverbank.

The Friends of Rockwell group is also organising its latest litter pick as part of the event and anyone who wants to get involved should meet at Hutton Avenue footbridge in Darlington at 10am tomorrow.

To find out more, email Jacqui@teesriverstrust.org who can match you up to a litter pick in your area.