Volunteers collect 200 rubbish bags from railway

Clean-up teams scoured the tracks for litter

It was the kind of glorious weekend weather that would normally be perfect for a scenic rail journey.

But the passengers who boarded one particular train at Bishop Auckland station in County Durham on Sunday were seeking a day trip with a difference.

Not your everyday sightseers, these volunteers were instead on a mission to gather 200 bags of rubbish from the tracks to help mark the 200th anniversary of the Stockton and Darlington Railway.

Opened in September 1825, the 26-mile stretch transformed how the world traded, travelled and communicated, with festivities taking place throughout this year to celebrate the bicentenary.

The Weardale Railway is a heritage line that runs for 18 miles from Bishop Auckland to Stanhope.

General manager Claire Gibbons said: "We had the idea for the big spring clean after travelling up and down the line and noticing that the litter situation was really bad.

"So, with a landmark birthday coming up we thought, what better way to celebrate?"

She also praised the commitment of the dozens who turned up as the train, en route to Stanhope, made its first stop of many just a few hundred yards down the track.

And it did not take long for the clean-up team - made up of local residents, members of the Lanchester Boys' Brigade, Durham Wildlife and rail staff, amongst others - to disembark and get to work.

However, trying to find the most bizarre item discarded in the undergrowth soon became the day's most popular pastime.

What is more, the results proved far from disappointing, with an antique telephone handset, an iPad, a shopping trolley, a pillow and some unopened prosecco - likely long past its sell-by date - among the things uncovered.

"We found some booze, so everyone's a winner," joked one volunteer, who popped the cork on the vintage bottle of fizz to mark their task's completion.

But, despite it having been thirsty work, everyone was sensible enough not to drink any.