A litter pick charity have been cleaned out - but they're more determined than ever to clean up.

The organisers of Oxford’s annual neighbourhood cleaning event OxClean have had 365 of their litter pickers stolen.

Oxford Civic Society was finalising plans for this year when they discovered their equipment had been taken from their lock-up store.

Having asked around, they were forced to conclude that the pickers had been stolen.

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Even so, the group is still forging ahead with three consecutive Big Saturday Clean-Ups starting on May 29 and launching a fund-raising drive to replace the stolen pickers.

OxClean co-ordinator Natasha Robinson said “We discovered the loss on April Fools’ Day – but it isn’t at all funny.

"We have no idea how the thieves got into our store, and we’ve since been told that we can’t claim on insurance. As a small charity, we’ll struggle to find over £5,000 to buy replacement equipment.

“But we’re determined to clean up the city nonetheless.”

OxClean is an Oxford Civic Society initiative dedicated to keeping Oxford clean and tidy all year round, ensuring that the city is a welcoming and pleasant place for people to live, work and visit.

Organisers work in partnership with Oxford City Council, The Oxford Times and local community groups and schools.

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In past years more than 1,000 volunteers and up to 100 groups have set out to pick up litter across the city during the weekend which usually happens in early March but this year was delayed by pandemic restrictions.

One year they collected seven tonnes of trash from hundreds of neighbourhoods.

The group says litter has become a bigger problem than ever during lockdown and are urging people to come forward and take part in the three consecutive Saturdays - May 29, June 5 and June 12.

Dr Robinson said: “As always, we’ll need all the help we can get.

“Last year, over 1,000 people signed up to help with our Leap into Spring clean-up weekend just before the first lockdown.

"We’re hoping that even more will join us on one or more of the three Saturdays this year. And maybe some will go the extra mile to help us get the event off the ground by contributing towards the cost of replacement litter-pickers through our JustGiving page, or even buying their own.

“And in the meantime, if you’re offered cheap litter-pickers, please contact us – and the police, of course.”

Participants can register to join via the OxClean website https://www.oxclean.org.uk.

Donations towards rebuilding the Civic Society’s stock of litter-pickers can be made on the JustGiving page or contact the Civic Society at info@oxcivicsoc.org.uk