More than 120 bags of litter have been collected from the banks of the River Avon in Bath and North East Somerset by volunteers and local organisations as part of this year's Great British Spring Clean.

Ten volunteer groups worked alongside Avon Fire and Rescue, Canoe Avon, Bath Sea Cadets and Bath Canoe Club for the Great Avon River Pick on March 26.

One hundred and seventy people of all ages came together to clear the litter using equipment provided by Bath & North East Somerset Council including 70 litter pickers, 30 children's pickers, sacks, gloves and high vis jackets.

The river pick was part of the annual Great British Spring Clean campaign organised by Keep Britain Tidy running from March 25 to April 10, which invited people to join the #BigBagChallenge and improve the environment on their doorsteps.

Nationally, 449,406 bags were pledged in total with 438,147 people pledging to take part.

Councillor David Wood, cabinet member for Neighbourhood Services, said: "Thank you to all the volunteers who joined forces to carry out Great Avon River Pick. It's a huge success that more than 120 bags of litter were saved from polluting our waterways, posing a danger to wildlife and remaining an eyesore in our beautiful district.

"We are lucky to have such strong support from volunteer groups and partner organisations who work hard all year round to keep Bath and North East Somerset looking clean and tidy. I'd encourage everyone to join a litter pick near them at any time of year, or take part in one of our Clean and Green community action days we're working with communities to organise that we'll be sharing details about soon."

The volunteer groups which took part in the Great Avon River Pick were the Keynsham, Saltford and Corston Wombles, Weston Litter Group, Newbridge Litter Pickers, Widcombe Association, Friends of Kensington Meadows, Friends of Sydney Gardens and the Duke of Edinburgh's Award Scheme and a group organised by the Mayor of Bath, Councillor June Player.

Find out more about the council's £950k of extra investment into neighbourhood services.

Anyone caught littering could receive a £150 fixed penalty notice.

#NoPlaceForLitter have a limited amount of equipment they can lend to B&NES residents for volunteer litter picks. For more information and to reserve equipment please email the nearest hub:

• Keynsham - [email protected]
• Bath - [email protected]
• Radstock - [email protected]

Rubbish bags are available for community groups or businesses organising events and the council will arrange to pick up the litter collected. For more information email: [email protected]

Find out more about Keep Britain Tidy