Schools, businesses and organisations of all kinds picked up recycling and refuse bags, gloves and litter pickers and pitched in to smarten up their neighbourhoods.

Grafton Primary School, Whitehall Park School, The Glasshouse shelter, Junction Market, GLL, Canal and River Trust staff, local police officers, local residents (especially from Mayton Street, N5) were among those who joined local councillors and council officers.

Events included a litter pick of Nag’s Head, a clean-up around the Sobell Centre, and litter picking at Navigator Square in Archway.  There were also deep cleans of Caledonian Road and Finsbury Park, and a clean-up of Regent’s Canal in Islington, with graffiti and litter removal.

The community clean-up was a key part of the borough’s annual spring clean, this year part of the Keep Britain Tidy Great British Spring Clean Campaign.

Cllr Claudia Webbe, Islington Council’s executive member for environment and transport, said: “A massive thanks to the many residents, from school children to business owners, who gave up their time to help make Islington look its best.

“Our collective litter picking and cleaning has made a real difference and given some extra care and attention to some of Islington’s busiest areas.

“Our spring clean brings an extra boost to the borough, on top of the hard work done by our street sweepers and cleansing teams all year round.”

Islington’s street sweepers helped the borough to win Keep Britain Tidy’s prestigious national “Outstanding Service Delivery”, after the borough’s pioneering transformation of street-cleaning.

For more information on Islington’s spring clean see www.islington.gov.uk/springclean