LITTER picking groups from neighbouring communities have teamed up to tidy up roadsides in County Durham.

The Fishburn Wombles, Trimdon Wombles and Sedgefield Ploggers joined forces to clear up footpaths that run alongside the roads that link up the towns and villages in their part of the county.

Together, they filled dozens of bin bags on Sunday morning and plan to work together again in the future.

The Northern Echo:

The Fishburn and Trimdon Wombles have both been litter picking since March 2021, regularly meeting up in their villages and the surrounding areas.

Founded in 2019, the Sedgefield Ploggers combine jogging with litter picking, tidying up sections of the town together at a sociable pace, with residents of all ages getting involved.

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The Wombles and Ploggers made contact with each other earlier this year and decided to join forces to clear up the roadsides together.

Richard Wanless of Fishburn Wombles said: “It was a fantastic joint effort by all Wombles and Ploggers, helping to clear the roadsides all the way from Trimdon Colliery, through Trimdon Grange to Trimdon Village, Fishburn and the roads to Sedgefield and Bishop Middleham.

"We collected another good haul of rubbish and the area certainly looks so much cleaner.

"Both Fishburn and Trimdon Wombles are going from strength to strength and even if people can't take part in the litter picking events, just showing support by joining the groups on Facebook and keeping in touch with what they are doing will be fantastic.

"The more members and support we have the better. Help us create litter-free villages and towns for everyone to enjoy and be proud of.”

Chris Lines of the Sedgefield Ploggers said: “It was really good to team up with our wombling friends from Fishburn and Trimdon. ‘Many hands make light work’ is a cliché for a reason and our ploggers enjoyed meeting up with the Wombles to clear up long stretches of the roadsides.

"Everyone in the Sedgefield Ploggers and the Fishburn and Trimdon Wombles loves where they live and this was an excellent example of how our communities can work together to keep the whole area looking great. We’ll definitely be joining forces again soon.”