PEOPLE in Hartlepool are helping the environment by taking advantage of free house-to-house collections of Christmas trees.

More than 150 trees were collected on Monday, the first day, and the service will continue until next Wednesday.

All the trees collected by Hartlepool Borough Council are being taken to the civic amenity site, in Burn Road, for shredding, before being used in parks and gardens.

Collections continue today in the Park, Brinkburn and Rift House wards, in the Stranton and Seaton wards on Monday, Owton and Fens on Tuesday, and Rossmere ward, along with the villages of Greatham and Newton Bewley, on Wednesday.

Helen Beaman, the council's waste management officer, said: "I am delighted that so many people have already taken advantage of the tree collection service.

"However, collections are still to be carried out in a number of areas, and I hope residents will make the most of the chance to do their own little bit for the environment.

"All householders need to do is put out their trees and we'll do the rest, but if a collection is missed then trees can still be taken to the civic amenity site."