Volunteers needed to make a clean sweep of the East End

Squads of volunteers are planning to clean up parks and neighbourhoods in the East End which are regularly strewn with litter. 

The CleanupUK national anti-litter charity is looking for helpers to set up a Tower Hamlets group which will visit problem areas. 

It has already set up 1,800 litter-picking groups around the country. 

“Litter is a disgrace and disheartening,” volunteer Lynn Hatch in one group said. “But it's satisfying to know that we’re not just moaning about it.” 

They could do well to recruit the mayor of Tower Hamlets, who has himself started a litter-picking programme with councillors, staff and even schoolchildren.  

John Biggs launched a Clean Up after Covid campaign earlier this month to give high streets a clean sweep after lockdown.

His last major litter operation a year ago in Mile End collected 70 bags of rubbish in one day. 

CleanupUK’s chief executive George Monck said: “This is about friendly neighbourhoods, not just litter. Community litter-picking achieves a visible improvement in a short space of time.”   

Volunteers wanting to set up a Tower Hamlets litter group can get information from the charity’s website.