HAGLEY villagers got in on the national ‘Clean For The Queen’ campaign this weekend by taking part in their own community litter pick.

Youngsters from the 2nd Hagley Guides joined forces with Hagley Residents Action Group (HRAG) to collect 12 bags of rubbish from hedgerows, grass verges, roadsides and other public areas around the village.

The campaign, which is marking the Queen’s 90th birthday in June, urged communities to make a difference during the weekend by taking part in a local litter pick.

During the event, members of HRAG cleared litter from along the main roads through Hagley while the young Guides cleared the rubbish from much of the village centre.

Bromsgrove District Council helped the groups out by supplying the clean-up crews with litter picks, hi-vis jackets, gloves and bags.

Organiser of the litter pick, Peter Rowbottom of HRAG, said: “The Guides certainly lived up to their own promise 'to serve the Queen and community’, and I know the girls were both proud of and enjoyed themselves.

“The amount of litter, especially along hedgerows and grass verges along the main road routes, was quite appalling.

“Apart from the clear environmental damage this creates, there is also significant cost to villagers, as local councils are obliged to pay out thousands of pounds per year to clear litter from the village.

“I would like to thank Bromsgrove Council for supplying the equipment and especially 2nd Hagley Guides for volunteering to help HRAG clear so much litter.

“Thanks to our community litter pick, many parts of Hagley – at least for a while – are now litter free.”