RESIDENTS of a small village near Bolton came together for a large-scale litter-picking event last weekend.

More than 30 people of all ages gathered on Saturday morning in Belmont Village for a tidy-up morning as part of their Best Kept Village campaign.

The project was organised by volunteers from the Belmont Village Residents Association with support from Blackburn with Darwen Council.

George Skinner, 73, a Belmont resident of around 30 years standing and a member of the residents’ association, said: “We try and organise litter-picks like this around once a year.

“A lot of cyclists and motorcyclists come through the village and they’re not always the most careful when it comes to disposing of their litter.

“More than 50 bags were collected in total.”

The main types of rubbish collected included cigarette butts, gas canisters, general waste, tyres and leaves, which were sorted into separate bags - some of which could be recycled.

Following the event, the Black Dog pub provided bacon butties for the volunteers after the morning’s work.

Belmont is only a small village with a population of around 300 residents, but has an active and tight-knit community group, according to Mr Skinner.