COMMUNITIES will rally together this weekend to take part in a Great British Spring Clean.

Events will be held today and tomorrow with litter pickers scouring areas of Horwich and Blackrod.

Volunteers in Blackrod will meet at the community centre today between 9am and 9.30am this morning before heading out around the town.

The event has been organised following concerns in the village over litter.

And the Horwich First Community Group will be putting on its Great British Spring Clean event tomorrow from 10am until noon.

Cllr Steven Chadwick, Horwich First member and representative for Lever Park on Horwich Town Council, has helped to organise the event.

He said: "The previous two events each recovered more than 49 bags of litter from the Old Station Park and Green Lane/Pickups areas of Horwich.

"A big thank you to all those who volunteered.

"If you can spare a couple of hours this weekend to improve our town, please join us."

The Horwich event was originally scheduled to take place earlier this month but had to be postponed due to the cold weather and the snow brought over by the Beast From The East and Storm Emma.

As well as picking up the bags of litter in Old Station Park, the group also discovered two knives close to the children's play area.

One was an eight-inch chef's knife, which the group handed in to an officer from Greater Manchester Police.

Equipment for the event in Horwich will be provided but the group recommends wearing gloves.

Further details of the event can be found by going to the Horwich First Community Group Facebook page or by calling 07950645804.

The Great British Spring Clean is a nationwide campaign that takes place every year between March 2 and March 25.

The aim of the initiative is to bring people across the country together to clear up the litter that blights towns, villages, countryside and beaches. For more information, go to keepbritaintidy.org