Committed volunteers clean-up Havant with dedicated litter picks targeting fly-tipping hotspots

Organiser Jason Horton was joined by nine volunteers to carry out the clean-up around Bitterne Close, Winterslow Drive and Middle Park Way on Sunday, February 11. On the litter pick, the group found an abandoned lawn mower believed to have been sat there for years, a bike and a large amount of rubbish by the Portsmouth Water culvert at Middle Park Way.

NOW READ: Families speak of pride as they say goodbye to loved ones aboard HMS Prince of Wales

Mr Horton said there were three instances of fly-tipping in the area. The 53-year-old technical specialist told The News: “It’s a good thing to do for the community. We know the signs where people dump things. We split up into small groups and did the field at Bitterne Close. There was a lot of fly-tipping which we reported at the Portsmouth Water culvert and the field and behind one of the streets of the footpath.”

Mr Horton sets up litter-picking events every Sunday including through his Facebook group, Havant Community Litter Pickers, which he set up about two years ago. Among the volunteers at the Sunday clean-up event, were two children and their mums’. “We don’t often get kids joining us,” Mr Horton added.

"They really enjoyed doing it as well. You do get dirty because you’re picking up rubbish but people feel happy that they’ve contributed to the area and done a bit of good.” More information about upcoming clean-ups can be found on the Havant Community Litter Pickers Facebook group.