Asheldham: Volunteers see success in annual litter pick

More than 120 bags of litter and other discarded items were recovered from the side of the road, verges and ditches.

It included a carrier bag of rubbish recovered from a hedge five feet in the air.

Colin Cooper, chairman of Asheldham Residents' Association, said: “We’ve been doing two litter picks a year now for nearly 10 years and it never ceases to amaze me how much litter we collect. 

“It’s lovely to see members of the community coming together to help but it’s a shame it’s for such an abhorrent reason.”

He added: “Our two parishes are a lot cleaner as a result of this litter pick and I hope local residents and those passing through will respect that and take their rubbish home with them. 

“I would like to thank Maldon District Council for their support and Megan Fluker for providing an excellent lunch of stew and dumplings for the volunteers afterwards.”

Resident and district councillor Adrian Fluker said: “After all these years and having been involved in lots of litter picks, I still can’t get my head around why people need to throw their rubbish from their vehicles and not least of all as everyone has a waste bin at home.

“Likewise, why someone would take the time to put all the detritus from their vehicle into a carrier bag and then throw it out of the vehicle leaving it dangling in a hedge five feet up in the air. 

“People seem to forget that littering is an offence and that the impact on the environment including wildlife is massive. 

“I hope that Maldon District Council ups their game in dealing with littering and listens to evidence based complaints from residents and starts to proactively issue fixed penalty notices to offenders.”

Volunteers involved in the January litter pick are urging anyone tempted to litter to take their rubbish home with them.  

The next litter pick in Asheldham and Dengie will take place in the spring. More information can be found on the Asheldham and Dengie Parish Council website.