Neighbours in Gillingham fed up with rubbish dumped in their alley decided to take the problem into their own hands.

And to help them rid them of the eyesore community warden Nick Roberts gave up his day off.

By the end of the clean-up squad collected a staggering 1.3 tonnes of rubbish including chairs, wood, metal, plastics and even a pool table.

Residents in Eva Road and St John’s Road have been complaining about the alleyway being a target for fly-tippers for months.

So five of them and Nick decided to tackle the issue once and for all spending three hours collecting rubbish.

Nick, 28, from Rainham, said: “I wasn’t short of helpers on the day and it showed real community spirit.

Cllr Peter Hicks, who is in charge of community safety, said : “The results are remarkable and it’s a tremendous credit to Nick who gave up his own time to join in the community clear-up.”

Fly-tipping is a problem in Medway - often little or no evidence leaves council tax payers picking up the cost of clearing up.

During 2011/ 2012, Medway Council dealt with nearly 1,864 tonnes of fly-tipping and almost 2,195 tonnes of litter from streets across the Towns.

The total cost to clear and dispose of such waste was £3.8 million.
You can report fly-tipping directly to the council at medway.gov.uk or call 01634 333333.