BAGS of rubbish were collected in Malmesbury by environment-conscious residents as they took part in the Great British Spring Clean this weekend.

In total 12 bags of litter were collected by 17 people of all ages in the space of only two hours walking around the town with litter pickers and rubbish sacks.

Lucy Carolan, 55, who organised the litter pick which started at the long stay car park on Station Road, was shocked at the amount of litter that was collected.

"I was surprised, you do see it as you go past, but you don't realise that what you see is only a little bit of waste. When you go out and pick it up you see an awful lot more litter, especially in hedgerows," she explained.

"We picked up a lot just in the vicinity of the car park, especially around the Co-op, we picked up a few bags worth there. The acting manager came out and saw what we were doing, so maybe they will do something.

"Another family came and went up the Foxley Road towards Corston and they picked up about six bags of rubbish.

"It is amazing how much you can achieve in a short space of time."

It is hoped the litter pick will become an annual event and has inspired others to stop littering and pick up any rubbish they see when out and about.

Mrs Carolan, said: "When I advertised it on Facebook there were lots of people saying they do it anyway. What I am hoping is the supermarkets themselves will take responsibility in reducing plastic waste they sell to the public."