RESIDENTS, organisations and businesses have been urged to help clean the city’s parks and outdoor spaces as part of the Great British Spring Clean.

Taking place until April 10, the initiative from Keep Britain Tidy encourages people to do their bit in their local communities to tackle waste in public places.

Brighton and Hove City Council leader Phelim Mac Cafferty said: “We all share a responsibility as a city to keep the place we love tidy, and events like this provide a timely opportunity for everyone to get involved.

“You can join an organised event in your area, connect with our Tidy-Up team or local community groups which organise regular litter picks.  

“We know the cleanliness of our city matters not just to residents and visitors but also to our environment. We all share one city and one planet. Let’s work together to play our part to keep our city tidy.” 

As well as encouraging residents to conduct litter picks in their local communities, the council’s CityClean team will be carrying out overnight cleaning of the city, removing graffiti from public property, and jet-washing and removing stickers from street furniture.

This year’s scheme in Brighton and Hove kicks off today with a family rock painting event at Preston Park Rock Garden.

Organised by Brighton and Hove City Council and Friends of Preston Park, the event from 11am to 2pm will also have tools and equipment on hand to do litter picking.

Rocks and painting materials will be provided for free, with the theme for decorating being ‘litter and the environment'.

The final day of the spring clean coincides with the Brighton Marathon, with volunteers set to be on hand to collect litter around water stations.

Working with organisers of the Brighton Marathon, the council hopes that cleaning volunteers will help cut the amount of rubbish that is often dropped around these areas of the course.