This year’s Big Spring Clean campaign has been hailed a success as over seven tonnes of rubbish is removed from North Tyneside.
Run by North Tyneside Council, the annual initiative calls on the community to lend a hand and help make the borough spick and span.
And the 2015 campaign has seen local scout and brownie groups, emergency services, schools, businesses, voluntary organisations, resident groups and individuals joining in.
Visiting all areas of the borough since March, the campaign has seen 17 clean-up events take place.
Thanking people for their efforts, Cllr John Stirling, cabinet member with responsibility for Environment, said: “The Big Spring Clean is all about people coming together for the benefit of the borough.
“It has been running now for eight years and each time we achieve brilliant results, but none of it would be possible without the help of all those community-spirited people. I must say a big ‘thank you’ to them all.”
This year’s campaign had a focus on tackling responsible dog ownership, too, following requests from residents. Wardens reminded dog owners of their legal obligations to clean up after their pets, with 10 fixed-penalty notices issued to those who failed to do so or who were found dropping litter.
The Dogs Trust helped out by running events where dog chipping and basic dog heath checks were provided, for free, while the Prince’s Trust at TyneMet College litter picked outside the venues.
It also saw the return of Operation Hotspot, which tackles fly-tipping, anti-social behaviour and home fire safety checks, with support from Northumbria Police and Tyne and Wear Fire and Rescue.