Litter pickers find rubbish emptied back on to the floor by Sutton Mill Dam

Formed during lockdown in 2020, Sutton Wombles are a group of volunteers who litter pick around the dams, parks, and streets of Sutton on a weekly basis.

After spending two hours cleaning up the area around Sutton Mill Dam on Saturday, August 13, the group was later informed that the rubbish bags they left by a council bin had been emptied back on to the floor.

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The group spent two hours tidying up the area around Sutton Mill Dam

While the group litter picks to take pride in their local area, the emptying of their clean-up is the latest example of individuals undoing all their hard work.

Similar incidents have happened before while their rubbish collection has been set on fire on one occasion.

The group were "aghast" at the incident

A volunteer at Sutton Wombles, who didn't want to be identified, said: "Our volunteers litter pick to put some pride back into Sutton and bring people together, as it's really good to get people out and doing something as a community.

"Although we all enjoy doing it, it's really hard to take when you see your hard work emptied out onto the floor.

"This was two hours of graft and we were absolutely aghast to see it ruined."

The group's litter pick before it was emptied

As well as examples of individuals undoing their work, the volunteer said that the group has often encountered verbal abuse while litter picking in the community.

This, however, is counteracted by the "amazing" support from the wider community who commend them for what they do.

The volunteer added: "Without the help of volunteer groups like our own, the green spaces would be a mess across St Helens.

"We just want the community to help out, do their bit, and leave our litter pick alone as we put a lot of hard work into it."