ROMSEY residents came together for a big spring clean up.

The clean that was held on April 6 was organised by the Romsey and District Society and coordinated by chairman Councillor Mark Cooper with the help of the public service committee.

More than 60 volunteers attended the clean up and Mark described it as a "record turn out."

The teams worked on the Fishlake Stream alongside Middlebridge Street, along The Causeway and they also worked their way up Romsey's Barge Canal.

There were also dedicated teams who were clearing rubbish on verges and pavements near main roads in the town.

Last year the litter pick team collected 200 kilograms of rubbish.

Mark said: "We haven't got a figure yet but I suspect the weight of rubbish collected exceeds last year's total."

All of the rubbish was collected over a two hour period and the event was supported by Test Valley Borough Council which provided equipment, a truck and two members of staff to help collect the hundreds of bags of rubbish.

The Romsey Sub-Aqua Club also focused on clearing rubbish from the Tadburn Stream.

Mark expressed his thanks to those who took part and supported the litter pick.

He said: ""I am extremely grateful for Test Valley Borough Council's support on Saturday 6tth April and for the volunteers who turned out.

"It is self-evident that Romsey is a great place to live and that its residents take great pride in their town."

He added: "We are very grateful that the 'La Parisienne' restaurant provided tea and coffee for all the volunteers at the end of the pick-up."

The next Romsey and District Society steam clean is set to take place on October 5 and will follow the same format.

The news of the clean up comes after TVBC's contractor, Forest Traffic Services, completed its annual clean-up of the A303 and A34 verges, laybys and slip roads within the borough.

The authority said it took around three weeks to complete the work, with 634 bags of litter collected amounting to nearly three tonnes of litter and other roadside debris. The work is carried out between January and March each year.

Cllr Graham Stallard, environment portfolio holder at TVBC, said:“Now the clean-up is complete, the difference is staggering. I find it horrendous that in just one year, so much litter has been discarded along these two roads."

It coincides with the Great British Spring Clean, a national campaign led by Keep Britain Tidy and the Year of Green Action which encourages more people to get involved in projects which aim to improve the natural world.