An intrepid group of litter pickers from Tadworth are winning praise for their dedication in tidying up in their communities and nearby greenspaces.

The Tadworth, Kingswood, Walton and Burgh Heath Litter Pickers, AKA Clean Up Tadworth, recently posted images that attracted attention from regional media and political figures alike after they showed rubbish strewn over green spaces near the Kingswood recycling centre.

As well as the indignation and anger the images prompted online came a proactive response as volunteers with the group came together and did what they do on a regular basis, clearing the rubbish without a second thought.

"This year with everyone working from home and then lockdown ended too, rubbish just built up, especially in certain hotspot areas, and we started tackling those. We keep going back and it keeps on coming," volunteer Sharon Cranfield told the Croydon Guardian.

"We're hoping that after lockdown, things will improve. But something we've found litter picking this year is that historical litter has just built up too, on main roads like the A217 which goes through out borough," she added.

The group was founded by Alison Godden in August 2020 and has gone on to attract hundreds of online members and at least 50 regular volunteers who help out in the field.

In less than 6 months, the group said they have collected a total of 1000 full purple sacks of litter and won the praise of politicians in the area too.

"This fantastic effort by our willing volunteers shouldn’t actually be necessary," Surrey County Councillor Jeff Harris said.

"If everyone was as passionate about our area as they are, everyone else would take it home! Please don’t be an Antisocial chucker," he added.

Reigate and Banstead Councillor, Rachel Turner concurred: "Within five months these amazing litter pickers have collected 1,000 full bags of litter, plus an enormous amount of large rubbish items and fly tipping and have also got various communities working together.

"Volunteers include children who are really committed to keeping our beautiful heath, woodlands and other areas litter free," she said.

The group themselves praised Reigate and Banstead Borough Council (RBBC) in particular as "absolutely amazing" and said they had offered their full support to the volunteers in their efforts to tackle litter in the borough.

Indeed, the purple litter backs fast becoming synonymous with the volunteers in the area are supplied by the council to help with their mission.

"We've had an amazing response, especially from families and young people who are shocked by the litter they see. That's the future really," Sharon said.