COMMUNITIES across Oxford are aiming to make the city clean enough for the Queen at next year’s annual weekend litter-blitz.

Hundreds of people will converge on the city’s grot spots for Oxclean’s ninth spring-cleaning initiative in the first weekend of March.

The clean-up will be part of a nationwide litter pick called Clean for the Queen, which has been organised to honour her majesty’s 90th birthday year.

The countrywide campaign aims to bring out one million people to pick up rubbish over the weekend, while Oxclean looks to build on the 70 groups and seven tonnes of waste cleaned off the streets last year.

The spring clean will target areas around the city, including the verges of the A34 which are badly affected by litter.

Oxclean leader Rosanne Bostock, of West Way, said the team had played a part in the organisation of the Clean for the Queen project.

She added: “It is very pleasing to see so many volunteer groups and schools and our two universities coming together for Oxford’s annual spring clean.

“They undoubtedly help to make the city a better place for us all to live in.

“We will target estates in the city which we know have large problems with litter and we will split our groups up to clean those areas nearer the time.

“We are in touch with the schools. We have begun recruiting now and encourage more groups to come forward, particularly on the Sunday.”

The Spring Clean is organised through OxClean, an Oxford Civic Society project, in partnership with The Oxford Times each year.

OxClean will distribute litter pickers and sacks to registered groups, with the council collecting whatever they retrieve.

While many groups focus on their neighbourhoods and open spaces, groups are also encouraged to adopt neglected grot spots across the city. Mrs Bostock said the group was looking to install a fine-wire fence along Fry’s Hill Park in Blackbird Leys to catch litter. She said: “There is a small wire fence near Windale Avenue and I think it works quite well.

“We are also working on South Oxford. The A34 is a problem and we do struggle to get there.

“It’s quite dangerous. We want notices in place like we do northbound and on the Eastern Bypass – they really do work.”

An impressive cross-section of the city has taken part in previous years including student groups, friends of local parks, allotment associations, nurseries, children’s centres and parish councils. Rowers and canoeists also got involved, removing rubbish from rivers.

To register or report local grot spots, visit oxclean.org.uk