South Leicestershire Litter Wombles celebrate filling 100,000 bags of litter

Litter wombles have celebrated a milestone of collecting 100,000 bags of litter – but say there is still much work to do.

South Leicestershire Litter Wombles formed in 2019 and are regularly spotted on local verges scooping up discarded rubbish.

And despite ridding the countryside of so much litter already, the group has vowed to continue its hard work.

Founder Bob Lee said: “Not every member of society appreciates what we do for them, but all of our wildlife and countryside benefits.

“Thank you - but we've only just got started. Keep filling a bag – we need action not words.”

And after announcing they had collected some 100,000 bags of litter, Harborough, Oadby and Wigston MP Neil O’Brien invited the volunteers to Parliament to mark the occasion.

The group – all wearing their hi-visibility ‘Litter Wombles’ vests - were given a tour of the building including the House of Commons and House of Lords before a question and answer session where the MP was questioned about local issues like litter education, nitrous oxide cannisters and fly-tipping.

Mr O’Brien said: “It was great to welcome the South Leicestershire Litter Wombles to Parliament. They are such an amazing public-spirited group who have a simple aim to improve the local environment. I often see them at work, busying away picking up rubbish and making a difference. I wanted to say a proper thank you to them, particularly as they have announced that they have collected their 100,000th bag of rubbish.

“I particularly enjoyed hearing their ideas about how to tackle littering and I have several action points to take up on their behalf. Tackling littering and improving our environment is a priority of the Government. Since publishing their Litter Strategy in 2017, the Government has bolstered councils' enforcement powers, such as almost doubling the maximum fixed penalty for littering and providing nearly £1 million to help them to purchase new bins.

“However, there is much more to do, and I look forward to working with the South Leicestershire Litter Wombles to improve our local environment.”