Lots of bags of rubbish were removed from a section of the Tame Valley in Hyde, thanks to the efforts of a waste management company. 

Employees from the company SUEZ UK, which operates waste recycling sites across Greater Manchester, contacted the Friends of the Tame Valley to offer their time to help remove litter and fly-tipping from sections of the valley.

The litter-pick took place on Tuesday (29 June) when eight SUEZ staff were joined by Hyde Newton councillor Peter Robinson and six other volunteers from the Friends of the Tame Valley to help clean-up around Dunkirk Lane, the Peak Forest Canal and inside Dunkirk Wood.

The volunteers collected 56 bin bags of rubbish in total, which roughly amounts to around 680kgs in weight. The most unusual item found was a laptop!

Denton MP Andrew Gwynne, who is Secretary of the Friends of the Tame Valley, said: "The Friends Group is going from strength to strength, and since February a massive amount of litter and fly-tipping has been removed.  

"We are so grateful to SUEZ UK for offering to help around Dunkirk Wood and the Canal. They didn't just provide the bodies, but also all the equipment and removed the waste too.  

"It was a fantastic effort by all, and the Friends Group are so grateful for the support."

Anna Bell, SUEZ Contract Director in Greater Manchester, said: "Passion for the environment is a core value for us and we are proud to support efforts to keep our communities clean and tidy." 

The friends group is now switching its focus to restoring some of the infrastructure in the valley and has been applying to grant-funding bodies to restore footpaths, bridleways, fencing and signage across the site.

To join the Friends of the Tame Valley, and volunteer in future activity, you can contact ajgwynne@sky.com.

The area of the Tame Valley that the friends group covers runs from Shepley Wood in Audenshaw, through Jet Amber Fields in Denton and Hyde to the Peak Forest Canal, Dunkirk Wood and the Upper Haughton and Whittles Meadows running through to Mill Lane in Haughton Green.

Read more from the Tameside Reporter

Click here for more of the latest news

Click here to read the latest edition of the paper online

Click here to find out where you can pick up a copy of the paper