A GROUP of runners doing good for the community picked up 627 whipped cream bulbs on a run down the River Thames.

The group also found thousands of wet wipes as they ran the stretch of the river in six-days, stopping to pick up litter on their way back to London.

In the end, the 'ploggers' picked up 2,500 pieces of discarded things from toys to bottles and cans – all in a bid to raise awareness of plastic and slash the litter polluting the river.

The group who call themselves 'ploggers' and go by the name of 'plogolution' did the stretch of 184-miles combining 'picking' and 'jogging' – hence 'plogging'.

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They collected: 1,107 plastic bottles, 489 glass bottles, 931 cans and 44 bin bags full of landfill waste.

As well as the 'regular' rubbish, organisers said they were 'amazed' when they found a total of 627 silver canisters, sometimes used for laughing gas.

Other bits saved from blighting the rivers included old toys, thrown away wet wipes, a lot of tennis balls.

Michelle Parkes, the co-founder of Plogolution states: "I have been blown away by the team effort shown by our ploggers last week. None of those taking part were ultra runners, yet they were running on average 35 miles a day, 12 hours on their feet and picking up rubbish at the same time.

"Our other co-founder Dermot Kavanagh carried every piece of rubbish on his back before it made its way to support vehicle which was on hand during various stop-off points.

"His Rucksack at times was insanely heavy yet he battled through."

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Dermot Kavanagh added: "We really hope that this huge effort by the team highlights the issues we face around littering and plastic pollution.

"We need to take better care of our planet and environment which is why Plogolution also goes into schools and educate on the impact littering has and arranged school plogging clubs to encourage children to take pride in where they live."

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In 2018, 'plogging' became the latest craze to sweep through the UK on social media, with community-concious joggers hitting the streets with running gear, a bag for litter and a pair of gloves.

In February this year, an alternative feel-good way to 'gym' launched in Oxford.

People were invited to get fit and help isolated OAPs with tasks they can't do on their own at the same time by signing up to the GoodGym scheme.

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The idea is that members go on a weekly runs and pit-stop at different locations that need a job done around the house and in the garden by a volunteer.

To find out more about plogging or good gym visit didcotrunners.org.uk or goodgym.org