STUDENTS joined members of OxClean in a joint attack on one of the city’s worst “grot spots”.

Volunteers from the Oxford Hub – Oxford University students who help community projects – tackled an overgrown area in West Way, West Oxford.

It is one of several sites identified by OxClean organisers, the rest of which they hope to blitz in this year’s annual Spring Clean event, supported by our sister paper The Oxford Times.

Oxford Hub student Alison Hendy said: “We asked OxClean to suggest an area that needed cleaning up and they told us about this area in West Way. Our volunteering week is a week before OxClean’s Spring Clean, so we were happy to help out.”

The students cleaned an overgrown area on the north side of West Way, behind the bus stop near Seacourt Stream.

Our top stories

Other spots identified for the Spring Clean – due to take place on March 6, 7 and 8 – include Diamond Place car park in Summertown, Cricket Road car park in Temple Cowley, and Weirs Lane in South Oxford.

Oxclean organiser Rosanne Bostock said of West Way: “This area is close to a bus stop and behind a broken fence so it’s sadly no surprise that it seems to attract litter.

“We’re really pleased that the Oxford Hub student volunteers agreed to tackle it as part of their volunteering week, and we’re providing them with the hi-vis jackets and litter pickers they need to get the job done “It’s great that the students are joining in and helping to improve the city environment.”

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

More than 1,000 people are expected to take part.

Groups can sign up to take part and clean up areas in their neighbourhood. Individuals can also sign up alone to join others.

Litter pickers and high-visibility vests for volunteers can be borrowed, with Oxford City Council providing rubbish sacks and collecting the filled ones.

Last year more than 90 groups took part across Oxford, including residents’ associations, schools, nurseries, parish councils, neighbourhood watches, restaurants, colleges, theatres, Scouts, sports clubs, businesses and churches.

To register as a group with OxClean or to join a litter pick visit oxclean.org.uk or call 07505 756 692. Contact OxClean by post at OxClean, 67 Cunliffe Close, Oxford OX2 7BJ