AN army of litter pickers are planning a major clean up of an "eyesore" stretch of road.

During the next few months, Litter Picking Ramsbottom will host a series of six clean-ups along Manchester Road as part of an ongoing campaign to tidy up the town.

They say the road, linking the M66 to Shuttleworth, has become a "blight" on the town in recent years.

The group was founded by Jackie Griffiths and her daughter Izzy in March 2018 and has carried out numerous litter picks across the town, collecting more than a thousand bags of rubbish in the process.

Jackie said: “Our mega challenge has always been to sort out the problem of Manchester Road.

"If we can get the backlog of old rubbish cleared, the next step will be to discourage drivers from throwing litter from their cars, vans and lorries as they come off the M66.

"Litter poses a risk to local farm animals and wildlife. When washed down storm drains the litter can end up in streams and rivers, including the Irwell, and then it travels on to the sea.”

The first of the six events will take place on Tuesday, September 10 at 1pm, with the group meeting at the top of Peel Brow.

Funding for the planned clean-ups has come from The High Street Clean Up Fund.

Times and details of the remaining five litter picks can be found on the Litter Picking Ramsbottom Facebook page, on Twitter @RammyPickers or by emailing litterpickingramsbottom@gmail.com.