Peterborough woman shocked as finds 71 face masks discarded in a week

Theresa Slater with some of the masks that she picked up from around her home in Hampton.

Having spent the last few weeks becoming increasingly frustrated about the growing amount of litter, particularly face masks, in Hampton, where she has lived for the past 14 years, Theresa Slater decided she was going to do something.

She decided that she would begin to do something about the problem herself. Over the course of last week, while out on her usual walks/jogs, she picked up all of the face masks she found littered on the floor and was dismayed to find that she had collected 71 over the course of seven days.

The main route the masks were found on was a looped route between Hampton Vale, Orton Malborne and Orton Longueville.

Masks all picked up by Theresa within a week.

Theresa has also said that she has found ten masks left lying on the floor just by walking along Eagle Way once, close to her home.

She said: “I hate litter, I really don’t know why people do it; so I guess you could call this my crusade.

“I have lived in Hampton for 14 years and this is as bad as it has been for litter. I collected the 71 face masks from my usual jogging route but there are plenty of other areas where it is really bad, especially on Eagle Way and on verges close to the A15.

“We have a great local litter picker called Kevin but he can’t be everywhere and neither can the council. It’s up to everybody to take responsibility and do their bit. If everyone contributed just a little then we wouldn’t be in the mess that we are in.

“With the masks though, they are just everywhere; it’s a nightmare. I’ve even seen plenty of non-disposable ones just thrown away as well. They can be dangerous too and it is important to cut the strings as an animal could easily become caught in one.

“I see it as doing my little but we can’t keep people can’t keep ignoring the issue. Perhaps we need more litter pickers in the area.

“I also think an initiative in schools would be a good idea. I often pass Hampton College, Nene Park Academy as well as the local care home and there are often masks left around there. Perhaps an assembly about the issue would work.”