VOLUNTEERS near York collected 58 bags of rubbish on a three hour litter pick.

Escrick Park Estate held their annual litter picking morning last Saturday and collected 58 bags of rubbish in less than three hours along the unclassified road between Escrick and Skipwith.

Charlie Forbes Adam, the manager of his family’s Escrick Park, said:“It is an absolute local and national disgrace that drivers throw so much out of their windows along country roads.

"Not only does this make our beloved countryside so unattractive but also is very bad environmentally.

"All drivers have to do is put it in the bin when they get home.

"We collected mostly food and sweet wrapping as well as plastic bottles. All of this takes a long time to biodegrade and is so unsightly.

"This year we also found a metal bath, two beanie hats, a wellington boot and a staple gun."

Pete Meadows, Assistant Estate Manager, said: “Whilst this is an opportunity for the Estate Team to get together and keep our countryside tidy, it is also an expensive use of resources. Perhaps we should install CCTV cameras and report litter bug drivers to the police? It is such a shame that so many people do this, with no respect for the countryside or other people’s property."

Selby District Council kindly donated the bin liners and also came to collect the rubbish at the end of the mornings picking.