Mendip District Council has been busy cleaning up the district as part of its Greener Cleaner initiative.

The litter picking and street sweeping push, coincides with this year's Great British Spring Clean, 25 March – 10 April.

The national campaign encourages people to join litter picks in their area to make a difference and help protect the environment.

More than 100 miles of highway will be hand-picked to ensure all the district's major roads, hot spots and laybys receive dedicated attention.

Some 17 litter bins will also be placed in larger laybys too, to reduce rubbish build-up in known areas of concern.

In addition, during the past four weeks, our roadside sweeping machines have collected around 320 tonnes of debris - that's the equivalent weight of a Boeing 747 plane!

A 10-week sweeping programme for all areas of the district is well underway. Using weed-ripping technology, your Council is able to remove roadside weeds without the use of glyphosate or other products harmful to the environment.

Haylee Wilkins, Head of Service for Neighbourhoods, said: "Rubbish is everybody's responsibility, which is why we're always happy to take part in national campaigns, such as the Great British Spring Clean.

"The Greener Cleaner initiative is a corporate priority at Mendip. We're already seeing real visual benefits across the district, and we know people really appreciate the work of our crews.

"We're determined to ensure our roads, streets and rural areas remain rubbish-free, not just during campaigns, but all year around.

"We have allocated additional funding and resources to the Greener Cleaner priority, which will allow us to complete targeted campaigns throughout 2022/23, that will benefit our communities."

If you want to get involved or learn more about the Great British Spring Clean, visit: www.keepbritaintidy.org/get-involved/support-our-campaigns/great-british-spring-clean.