MALTON and Norton Tidy Group have picked their 1,000th bag of litter.

The Tidy Group was formed in 2009 and has met on a monthly basis ever since – Malton one month, Norton the next.

Since January 2013 - approximately 3.5 tonnes of unsightly rubbish has been collected by the team, which includes around 30 members.

Over the years Norton Scouts and Norton Guides have helped out and currently a couple of young people are involved through their Duke of Edinburgh Award participation.

The Tidy Group usually tackles the roadside verges and areas away from the town centres where much of the litter comes from passing traffic.

Areas that are regularly tackled include Broughton Road, York Road, Scarborough Road, Beverley Road and Orchard Fields. A number of individual members also regularly look after specific areas such as Castle Howard Road, Langton Road and Welham Hill.

Work is carried out with the support of Streetscene of Ryedale District Council who provide litter pickers, bags and hi-vis vests, and take away the litter that has been collected.

Beckie Bennett, Head of Environment, Streetscene and Facilities, Ryedale District Council, said: “It is amazing to see the work that has been undertaken by the Malton & Norton Tidy Group with local people volunteering their time on a monthly basis for the benefit of their community.

“The council is committed to working in partnership with community groups and this is a perfect example of how together we can make a positive contribution towards keeping our towns clean and litter free.”

Any other community groups interested in organising litter picking or other local environmental improvement initiatives should contact Streetscene@ryedale.gov.uk for further information.”

As well as litter picking, members of Malton and Norton Tidy Group have carried out a number of community gardening tasks.

For anyone wishing to get involved with or support Malton and Norton Tidy Group contact details can be found on Facebook ‘Malton and Norton Tidy Up Group’ and Twitter @MaltonTidyUp. The next meeting is Malton on December 4 - meet at 10am in Water Lane car park.