More than 2,000 items found on night litter pick

An all-night litter pick along a popular footpath resulted in thousands of items of rubbish being collected.

Green councillor Gill Thomas and volunteers collected nearly 2,000 pieces of rubbish during a 14-hour, 26-mile walk along the Cotswold Way on the night of the summer solstice.

The group said their discoveries included soiled underwear, human faeces, sanitary products, and hundreds of plastic items.

Ms Thomas said: "It's appalling that litter is so rife in such a beautiful, rural area."

The walk raised more than £1,000 for her Litter Pickers for Little Pickers campaign, which aims to donate 1,400 litter-picking kits to 45 local schools.

Joined by volunteers from Cotswold Trails and campaigner Eric Torrington of Litter Free, Ms Thomas began the walk at sunset from Painswick Beacon and finished at Wotton-under-Edge the following morning.

"The ascents were hard, the woods were dark and alive with forest sounds, and we saw a stunning sunrise over Selsley Common," she said.

Despite the scenic surroundings, the team found 129 bags of dog waste, more than 900 plastic items, human waste and fast food packaging.

Popular areas such as Haresfield Hill and Coaley Peak were identified as "grot spots", while Penn Wood was "littered with soiled toilet paper".

In contrast, Cam Long was relatively clean, the group said.

Ms Thomas who is Stroud District Council's Champion for Litter and the Clean Environment, said: "We didn't pass a single coffee shop or fast-food outlet, yet we found thousands of items - many clearly brought in by people and discarded.

"There's only one reason why litter ends up in the countryside — we put it there. The disrespectful and selfish behaviour of a few people spoils the countryside for so many others."

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