POLICE recruited a team of youngsters to help rid parts of Great Lever of rubbish and prevent crime.

Children from Clarendon Primary School and St Peter and Paul’s Primary School joined forces with the police, Bolton Council and firefighters to help improve their environment.

The Great Lever week of action started with a community walk around Leach Street, Lumsden Street, Clarendon Street and Gregson Field, with councillors and residents pointing out graffiti and fly-tipping.

An enforcement day also took place where checks were made to ensure people were putting out the correct bins.

And residents were given crime prevention tips, with people being encouraged to register their property on Immobilise, a database which helps police identify owners of lost and stolen items.

The week ended with a visit to the schools from the authorities and the police mascot Pippa the panda.

PCSO Simon Ratcliffe, for Bolton Central Neighbourhood Policing Team, said: “A boy and girl from each school dressed up as a police community support officer. They came out with us and became PCSOs for the day.

“The schools will also have an ‘enviro cop’, who will patrol their school looking out for litter.”

The youngsters, aged eight and older, took part in a litter pick around their schools and collected more than 10 bags of rubbish.

The fire service gave a presentation to the children and gave pupils a leaflet to take home to help crack down on the number of deliberate fires in the area.

Skips were provided around Great Lever during the week, at the end of February, to discourage people from fly tipping.

Three fixed penalty notices were issued for waste found in a back street in Woodfield Street.

Fines were issued after warning letters and attempts to contact those responsible proved unsuccessful.

Cllr Nick Peel, the council’s executive cabinet member for environmental services, said: “We spoke to residents and they told us issues like fly tipping and litter dropping concerned them.

“We would like to remind residents to use facilities like Raikes Lane, where rubbish can be taken for recycling or disposal free of charge.”