Litter pick in leafy Lillington lane which has been blighted by fly-tippers

The Friends of Black Lane group, helped out by Jonathan Huxley, a contracts officer for Warwick District Council, which provided equipment, and Veolia Refuse Collection which provided a truck to collect all the bags and fly-tipped materials.

Others who helped out included North Leamington School teacher Mike Swann and pupils Cameron Woolerton and Sam Johnson as well as members of the Protect Lillington Greenbelt and Campion Hills Allotments residents’ group.

Angela Owen, who formed the Friends of Black Lane group, said: “Everyone really pitched in - adults and supervised children alike - and we got the job done.

“I want to send a message out that Black Lane is a part of where we live, it is not a convenient dumping ground for building waste, domestic garden waste, unwanted items and general litter.

“Both littering and fly-tipping are illegal and can incur heavy penalties for perpetrators if they are caught.

“Not only are both damaging to the environment they also make the neighbourhood feel neglected and unloved.”

Much of the rubbish had been dumped at the back of the hedgerows and out of sight for years.

It included two toilet cisterns, a computer monitor, concrete gate posts, broken plastic toys, roofing felt, spray cans, rusting metal sheets, rolls of carpet, glass and tyres.

Angela said: “A common fly-tip I see is garden rubbish such as clippings and prunings - just because these items are ‘green’ it is still illegal to dispose of them in public spaces such as hedgerows and for good reason as they can smother native plants, introduce ‘aliens’ into the countryside and also spread disease into the local environment.”

For more information email [email protected] or search for Friends of Black Lane on Facebook.