DOZENS of volunteers helped to spruce up South Park as this year’s Big Spring Clean event launched.

The Litter Free Durham & Darlington event started yesterday and runs through until Sunday, April 15 and will see litter picks organised across the town and the county.

The Big Spring Clean was launched in Darlington as around 30 volunteers took part in a community litter pick in the South Park.

Last year more than 2,690 people took part in 193 community litter picks and collected 2,899 bags of rubbish as part of the event.

In Darlington alone, 1,085 people joined 62 litter picks during which 1,099 bags of rubbish and 3 tonnes of bulky waste were collected.

Councillor Nick Wallis, Darlington Borough Council’s cabinet member for leisure and the local environment, said: “We have a growing army of Street Champions who regularly take part in litter picks across the borough and more and more people are joining in the annual Big Spring Clean.

“We’re incredibly grateful for the efforts of all those who take part in this initiative and those who help keep our streets clean year round.

“Litter is a problem for us all and obviously the best thing would be for people not to drop litter - but we’d also like to call on people to take positive action if they do see it by picking it up.

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

Councillor Gerald Lee, chair of LitterFree Durham & Darlington, added: “LitterFree Durham & Darlington’s Big Spring Clean has now been running for more than ten years and every year the numbers of volunteers who take part keep increasing.

“It is great to see so many people in Darlington taking pride and ownership in their own communities by taking action themselves.”

For information about how you can help keep the streets clean, and for details on how to organise a litter pick log onto the website at www.darlington.gov.uk/litterpick.

Details of organised events are also included.

Darlington Borough Council is hoping that those taking part will share pictures of their efforts on social media by using the hashtag #ourstreets.