PEOPLE living in and around Melrose are being encouraged to tidy up the area this spring - with one road described as having a “mindblowing” amount of rubbish on it recently.

Litter was discussed at the online meeting of Melrose & District Community Council on Wednesday evening (March 17).

Although lockdown restrictions rule out large-scale ‘spring cleans’, Valerie Miller said people should still be encouraged to help in “ones or twos”.

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“Word is going out, very informally, to say there are some tools and bags available,” she said, adding: “In a less formalised way, a bit of spring cleaning is being done.”

Ms Miller said she had recently helped to pick up a “mindblowing” amount of rubbish on Waverley Road.

Other members indicated they had also seen notable levels of litter in the Melrose area, with chairman William Windram saying: “What’s amazed me is the number of face masks you see.”

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Mr Windram added that there are lots of couples out walking at the moment and he would be keen to see them getting involved in litter-picking.

“Please encourage your friends and neighbours to do that,” he added.

Ms Miller said she has sanitiser to clean the communal tools.