RESIDENTS have been doing their bit to clean up their communities.

A woman who led a clean-up campaign on a popular Dorchester footpath is hoping to leave a lasting message for litterbugs.

Wendy Webb, from Castle Park, headed up a team of residents who carried out a spring clean of the footpath between Coburg Road and Maiden Castle Road running alongside the Dorchester Rugby Club grounds.

Councillor Molly Rennie and town mayor Tess James also lent a hand as the team collected 15 bags of rubbish.

The litter pick was supported by the Dorchester Stop the Drop anti-litter campaign and the group’s treasurer Felicity McLaren has now helped Wendy erect signs at either end of the pathway asking users of the area to keep it clean of rubbish and dog mess.

Wendy said she hoped the signs would draw attention to the efforts of local residents and make people think twice about dropping rubbish in the area.

She said: “It’s such a beautiful little walk and everybody should enjoy it and it’s such a shame when it’s littered.”

Wendy said she was also hoping to see more bins installed along the path in the near future.

The Dorchester Stop the Drop Group is keen to erect similar signs in other areas around the town that local residents have cleared.

Meanwhile, a team from the Dorchester Morning Women’s Institute have been setting an example for the town’s war on litter.

Five members of the group spent a morning clearing West Walks and Bowling Alley Walk, collecting five large bags of rubbish in the process.

The WI members also all individually collect litter around their neighbourhoods.

Team leader Hilary Lancashire said: “It’s such a shame that we have to do this at all.”