Volunteers clean up the A47 Eye bypass

Volunteers outraged by the disgusting dirty condition of the A47 and the Parkway systems surrounding Peterborough decided to clean up the roads themselves.

Members of Pride In Our community and The Peterborough Litter Wombles have spent the last three Sunday mornings collecting all manner of discarded items from the grass verges and hedgerows.

Mark Fishpool the organiser of Pride In Our Community has spent his time cleaning debris, gravel, soil, old road signs and plastic car parts from the raised tarmac islands that surround the roundabouts.

Drivers using our road systems surrounding Peterborough see all of the litter and other debris on a daily basis. It is not a good first impression of our city.

Harry Machin who founded The Peterborough Litter Wombles organises the litter picking operation assisted by fellow volunteers.

Over the last three visits we have collected about seventy bags of litter, old car tyres, plastic containers, gas cannisters, road signs hidden in the grass and many other items.

We still have a lot of work to carry out on this section of road but we intend to thoroughly clean it from the Welland Road roundabout up to the Eye Green roundabout. When finished we have many other road systems around Peterborough to target.

We also carry out evening litter picks when road systems are closed due to road maintenance.

Last week Harry and Mark with help from some keen fellow enthusiasts, spent four evenings litter picking the Paston Parkway.

When road closures allow, we intend to carry out many other evening litter picks.

Armed with head torches, litter picks, bags for general and recycled litter this army of mature individuals turn out in all weathers to combat this blight on our landscape.

Mark and Harry's aim is to have a far cleaner and welcoming look for the city of Peterborough as motorists drive around our superb Parkway system which celebrated its 50th anniversary last year.

We are always looking for volunteers to give a helping hand whether it is litter picking the road or street they live on or to help with these larger tasks.

Mark Fishpool can be contacted through Facebook or on the Facebook group Pride in our community Peterborough.

Harry can be contacted through Facebook or on the Facebook group Peterborough Litter Wombles Group.