Sixty children from Woodlands Primary School in Salisbury, and their families, took part in a big litter pick in the Folly woodland in Bemerton Heath last Thursday.

They collected enough litter to fill 25 large bin bags and even uncovered larger pieces of rubbish such as tyres and garden tools.

After their mammoth effort they tucked into a barbeque laid on at the school.

The community litter pick was the culmination of six months of work between the school and Wiltshire Wildlife Trust, which was funded by Wiltshire Council.

Its aim was encourage children to think about what happens to our rubbish and find ways to reduce it and prevent it from going to landfill.

Gail Grimes, the Trust’s Education Officer, said: "I am thrilled the litter pick was such a success and that so many local people got involved with it.

"The children brought along their siblings, parents and grandparents and it was great to see everyone working together on a common cause.

"The Folly is an important habitat for lots of wildlife, as well as being a wonderful natural resource for people in Bemerton Heath.

"It’s such a shame that so much litter keeps being left there.

"The children have been finding out about how litter can affect wildlife and decided that they wanted to do something about it."

Local resident Michelle Brannigan took part in the litter pick along with her two children, who are pupils at Woodlands Primary.

She said: "My sons encouraged me to come and help today because they feel so strongly about the issue of litter.

"We often walk through the Folly and it is disgusting to see so much litter everywhere.

"Since the Wiltshire Wildlife Trust project started, my youngest son Frazer has become very keen on helping the environment and is always reminding me to recycle my rubbish."