Nearly 20 skips of rubbish, rubble and weeds have been cleared from an estate in Chatham.

The week-long clean-up campaign involved Medway Council, Kent Probation Service, Kent Police in Medway, and the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency.

All week, 20 offenders under the supervision of Kent Probation's Community Payback Officers have been hard at work,

Dumped fridges, car batteries, televisions and weeds are among the items cleared from alleyways on the privately owned White Road estate.

They also cut back overgrown branches from trees and bushes, and dug up weeds.

The areas the team targeted were Baffin Close; Gerald Avenue; Keyes Avenue; Glencoe Road.

Medway Council’s senior environmental enforcement officer Ian Burrell, said: “Some of the alleyways probably hadn’t been cleared in 20 years, so it was extremely tough and hard work in some areas.

"The men have worked incredibly hard and should be extremely pleased with their efforts."

Untaxed vehicles were removed from the estate, while residents were given the chance to raise any issues and concerns with members of the Medway Safer Communities Team.

The Vehicle and Operator Services Agency (VOSA) also issued six prohibition notices to people whose vehicles were un-roadworthy.

Kevin Kirby, Community Payback Officer from Kent Probation, said: “We took men off our normal projects to ensure this project was a success.

“The community really threw their support behind the team by offering the men drinks and allowing us to use the community centre as a base for lunch breaks.

“It was hard work and one of the guys even fixed a fence for one woman to stop her dog from escaping the garden.

"I hope everyone has learned something from this positive experience.”