Since January there has been a renewed effort by East Hampshire District Council (EHDC) and Norse to clean up areas of the district.

As part of the Council’s Spring campaign, 800 bags of litter were cleared from the A31 earlier in April.

Petersfield resident and litter picker Glenn McLernon says while progress is positive there is still work to be done. He and another volunteer recently picked 40 bags of rubbish from four slip roads and from under the flyover at the A3/A272 junction.

Speaking about the efforts in Petersfield, he said: “The town centre looks a lot better particularly because the scarabs (mechanical street sweepers) have been out more frequently and sweeping more places.

“We are told that this renewed thrust by EHDC and Norse will continue and they will meet with us volunteers every three months. They will road-sweep all areas regularly about every 13 weeks and hope to sweep the town centre a few times every week.

“This combined with regular litter picking, emptying the litter bins more regularly, cleaning the bins regularly along with weed clearing and grass trimming.”

An EHDC spokesperson said: “Our Great Spring Clean during March has helped improve the litter situation across the district. During the campaign we cleared over 93 tonnes of litter and debris from roadsides and verges across the district to keep our towns and villages looking clean and tidy.

“We have also been able to co-ordinate a thorough litter pick along the A31 alongside grass cutting by Hampshire County Council.

“The A3 is a similar situation to the A31 where any litter picking needs to be part of a coordinated effort alongside planned lane closures so that crews can work safely in the area.

“We are working with town councils, parish councils and local volunteer groups to keep the roads and streets of East Hampshire looking tidy.”