This is no celebration say Copythorne Parish Pickers as they reveal they have collected ten tons of rubbish in less than two years

TEN tonnes of litter has been collected by a Forest litter picking group over the last four years – enough to fill more than 2,500 large bin bags.

Revealing the shocking statistic, a spokesperson for Copythorne Parish Pickers said: "This is not a celebration but rather a sad indictment of the degradation of our society and past values.

“We are a small group operating in one parish within the New Forest, albeit a major gateway into the park, but these accumulations are unacceptably high.

“Volunteers can go on picking week in week out but its not the answer to an ever-increasing problem.”

The group, which was founded in February 2019 and goes out litter collecting every Sunday, is now campaigning for more support from local authorities to help tackle the issue.

It would also like to see CCTV cameras installed in certain areas to catch culprits.

The spokesperson said: “We need a government-led campaign to reverse this social inertia. The vast majority of the public agree and cleaning our streets, verges and open spaces is the first step to regaining our national pride .

“Or we can sit on our hands, moan, do nothing and continue being the dirtiest country in Europe.

“Parish Pickers, like many other volunteer litter picking groups, are fighting back.”