BIG Tidy Up volunteers in Altrincham recently targeted the area between Denmark Street and the Transport Interchange - unearthing a metal knuckleduster amongst lots of other rubbish.

The banks along the footpath and fenced off areas under the railway arches and behind station buildings were thick with discarded packaging.

Event organiser Sarah Walmsley, of community group ‘Our Altrincham’, says the area will need another few hours work to clean up completely but substantial progress has been made. Trafford Council has promised to review the provision of litter bins along this and other nearby footpaths, and to prune overhanging trees to make it lighter and safer.

During the January 27th litter-picking event, a team of 20 volunteers including three young boys collected 47 bags of rubbish between them.

The areas cleaned included footpaths, main roads, residential roads and public green spaces. The group has collected 919 bags of rubbish since July 2010 from Altrincham’s streets, footpaths and green spaces, and expects to reach at least 1,000 bags this year.

The group’s activities are soon to be the focus of a case study for Keep Britain Tidy, to highlight the way in which community groups can tackle the problem of littering.

Our Altrincham is acknowledged as having inspired other groups such as the ‘Sale Wombles’ and ‘Clean Up My Community Warrington’. Another new group called ‘Timperley Tidiers’ is currently being assisted with set up.