MORE than 70 bin bags of litter were collected by 76 volunteer adults and children who took part in Alton’s Big Spring Clean on Saturday morning.

The two-hour event, organised by The Alton Society and the Guild of Optimists as part of the national Keep Britain Tidy Big Spring Clean campaign, saw the biggest turnout yet for a litter pick in the town.

Volunteers covered the town centre, car parks, alleyways and many of the roads off the town centre. As in previous years the main problem was discarded cigarette butts, with car parks containing the most litter.

Alton Town Council provided the litter pickers and bin bags, and helped dispose of the rubbish. Giles Lock of the Ashdell Residents’ Association provided an Easter egg for each of the children who took part, and Bottega dei Sapori offered a hot drink voucher to every volunteer.

Also helping with the event were the Alton Climate Action Network, Alton Lions, the Alton Herald and the Church Triangle Residents Association.

Among the volunteers were East Hampshire MP Damian Hinds, Alton town councillor Suzie Burns, and their children.

An Alton Society spokesperson said: “We would like to thank everyone who turned out to help make Alton a town we can be proud of.”