Diplocks litter disgrace

Volunteers spend own time clearing up after lazy, inconsiderate fly-tipping and littering on new pathway

Hundreds of items including alcohol cans, mattresses, trollies, TVs, needles and knives were just a few of the items found by volunteers during a recent community litter pick.

Volunteers discovered a disgraceful amount of litter during the two-hour pick on the newly-laid path from the Diplocks housing estate to the nearby industrial estate.

The joint clean-up operation by Waterweek, the Wealden Wombles and Hailsham Active saw more than 20 volunteers trawl the stream and pull litter from the bushes in an attempt to clear up after people who dump rubbish nearby.

More than 50 cider and lager cans were recovered from one bush alone and among the haul collected during the morning was a large 10-inch knife, needles, bed mattresses, supermarket trollies, carpets and home entertainment equipment.

The path was recently created as part of an initiative by East Sussex County Council to upgrade local byways and make them useable for the general public.

The team organise regular litter-picks around Hailsham and Hellingly, and target trouble areas such as river banks alleyways and parks where people are likely to

All litter bagged-up by the team is collected by Wealden’s contractor Biffa, shortly after each pick.

A spokesperson from Wealden District

Council told Hailsham News: “People enjoy doing their bit for the community and we are very happy we can help to facilitate that. We are incredibly grateful to all our litter-picking volunteers in Wealden who, alongside our Street Cleansing Team, help to significantly reduce the amount of litter in our beautiful district.”

Bin bags, bag hoops and littler pickers have been donated by Wealden District Council to assist the teams in their quest to clean up the towns streets and alley ways.

Hailsham Independent Town Councillor Ross Newark who regularly joins the litter picks said: “It’s my goal to inspire people to care for the environment and participate in local community projects. Litter picks like the recent Diplocks stream clean al low my daughter Ferne, and son Oakley to get involved with like-minded, community focused individuals.”

He added: “This was the third Waterweek 2021 stream clean that was organised in conjunction with Hailsham Active and it’s made a huge difference to the wildlife and residents in the area. Our hope is to continue inspiring others to care for their local patch and keep Hailsham free from litter.”

Action has been taken by the authorities to crack down and target those fly tipping and littering in the area.

Anyone wishing to join the Wealden Wom bles can contact them via their Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/ groups/912111862693384.