Lockdown litter picker removes 250kg of rubbish from Peak District during pandemic

Hulme End resident Lee Spensley set out to take on a regular local litter peak a year ago in a bid to help out in the community.

Countless bin-liners and long walks later, Lee has recently calculated that he collected more than 250 kilograms of rubbish from his one corner of the Peak District.

Originally aiming to simply improve his local area, an influx of visitors to the Peak District National Park following the lifting of the pandemic’s first lockdown found Lee having to unexpectedly step-up his efforts.

Lee said: “It's exercise and keeps the place tidy.

"It's also a neat way to keep in touch with people when walking about."

Lee was initially inspired to grab a litter-picker with voluntary work at school and then with the local ranger service, and later in life even on holiday where alongside his wife he’s often put aside a day to pick up litter.

Lee added: “I pick about three or four times a week to keep on top of it locally where I live. I plan to pick every road, path, public space within a two-mile radius every year. On most routes I'm able to now undertake a deep clean of historic litter, like the kind that gets put into drystone walls or gets entangled in grass or brambles. This means that I found some interesting things like a pair of trainers, a brass telescope, £5 in assorted change and for some reason numerous pairs of mens underwear.

“It’s voluntary work so I've been able to do it during lockdown. It’s a small way to keep the place decent for those living, working and visiting.”