DOZENS of community volunteers will be doing their bit to keep Uttlesford a clean and beautiful district.

The Uttlesford Big Clean Up event over the first weekend of March will see parish councils and other volunteers giving up a couple of hours of their time to carry out a litter pick in their local area.

As part of its Keep Uttlesford Tidy campaign, Uttlesford District Council is supplying litter picking equipment to any parish or town council in the district that would like it. Previously, these councils had to borrow it from the district council if they wanted to carry out a litter pick.

Some 40 parish councils took up the offer of the free equipment and the district council is busy distributing more than 450 litter pickers to them along with a supply of bags and hi-vis vests.

Leader of the district council Cllr Jim Ketteridge said: “The response from the parishes really has been excellent and I would like to thank everyone who has taken up the offer.

“Everyone has a role to play in keeping the district tidy and it is commendable that so many people are willing to give up their free time to do their bit.

“There are already some parish councils that organise litter picks and hopefully with the permanent supply of this equipment, more will do so. It complements the district council’s street cleansing work and means more of the district can be tidied up more regularly.

“We are giving parishes the tools for the job so potentially hundreds of people can get out there and clean up. Dozens of parishes are in the process of organising litter picks over the Big Clean Up weekend from March 4-6, or at a later date if that weekend is not possible.

“There is a lot of talk about the Big Society at the moment, but this is a real example of how communities can work together to make a difference to the place they live.”

As well as parish council representatives, village residents and schools are also heading out for litter picking.