Litter-picking group started to clean up community

Eight bags of a rubbish was collected from a small field during a trial litter pick

A man who said the sight of rubbish in his town was depressing has set up a community litter-picking group.

Paul Fairbridge, 28, decided to take action to clear rubbish and waste left by fly-tippers in the Grangetown area of Redcar and Cleveland.

He said the situation had become "ridiculous" and he had found needles and empty drug packets while tidying up his community.

"The place has been so neglected I can't just sit here anymore and do nothing," he said.

"Everywhere you walk there are people's takeaway boxes, McDonald's rubbish, and sweet wrappers," he said.

Then you get to the field and people have dumped tiles, baths, a lot of fridges, timber - everything you can think of, you will see."

Mr Fairbridge has already carried out a preliminary litter pick with a friend and they cleared eight bags of rubbish from a small field.

Paul Fairbridge said he hoped the group would help improve pride in the area

He has set up a group called the Grangetown Revival, which aims to clean up and keep the area tidy and hopes its efforts will improve local pride.

So far, 20 people have volunteered to help, mostly members of nearby Christ Church, but local businesses have also offered their support by providing a skip and scrap metal collection.

Flytippers have left rubbish including fridges and tiles lying around

Grangetown Revival's first official litter pick will be at 11:00 BST on 19 April at the Redcar and Cleveland Training & Employment Hub on Bolckow Road.

"Grangetown has a population of about 6,000 people so there's a lot of work to be done and not a lot of time to do it," Mr Fairbridge said.

"If people can turn up and help and they have their own litter picks and gloves that would be great.

"The more people who turn up the more we can get done."