A GROT SPOT was blitzed by a group of eco-friendly volunteers.
The litter pickers tidied up Mirfield towpath all the way from Shepley Marina to Lidl supermarket.
And they plan to repeat the exercise at other areas in the town that are being blighted by litter.
Clr John Nottingham, environment portfolio holder for Mirfield Town Council, said: “We’re trying to make the people of Mirfield more aware of environmental matters.
“Half of our residents thought there were grot spots in Mirfield which needed to be cleaned up.
“These included parks, play areas, pavements and the towpath.
“People said they were concerned about the environment and they wanted to reduce energy and recycle and make a change.”
British Waterways provided the volunteers with litter pickers and bin bags for the big clean-up.
Clr Nottingham was joined by Claire McDonald from British Waterways and volunteers Diane Richardson, Andy Carr and Andrew Flynn.
The group also had some help from offenders carrying out community service.
Clr Nottingham said: “The weather kept off and it was a worthwhile morning. We collected quite a bit of litter, it was mostly cans and paper – there wasn’t that much dog poo.
“We were careful with needles or condoms and we did a full health and safety risk assessment with the volunteers before we started.”
Today, locals are invited to help spring clean a walking and cycling path in Dewsbury.
Volunteers from the green transport charity Sustrans will be clearing up Route 69 of the National Cycle Network and are meeting at 9.30am at the Thornhill Road/Island View crossing on the route.
They will litter pick until noon.
Organiser Stephen Broadberry said: “This is a great traffic-free route alongside the River Calder for people walking and cycling into Dewsbury away from the busy main road.
“The spring clean is vital for keeping it safer and more attractive so that people will continue to use it for their local journeys.
“It would be great to see more people who want to have a positive impact on their local community coming out on Tuesday to help with the spring clean.
“It’s a great way to stay active, meet people and make a difference locally.”
Contact Stephen on 01484 424955 for more information.
