ALMOST 100 community groups including 26 schools have signed up for Oxford’s annual spring clean.

OxClean is now in its fourth year and 96 organisations have joined the campaign.

Organisers are now calling on more groups to pitch in on March 4 and 5.

Most groups pick up litter in their neighbourhood and nearby open spaces.

Spokesman Ros Weatherall, 64, said: “We want to keep this event going every year because unfortunately the litter does come back, particularly in places city council staff can’t easily get to.

“The groups pick up plastic bags, crisp packets, coffee cups, drinks cans and bottles.

“Volunteers are given different coloured bags so they can separate out the recyclables.”

Groups set to take part include the Rose Hill Tenants’ and Residents’ Association, Oxford Brookes Student Union, Oxford and Cherwell Valley College and Oxford Hub Community Volunteers.

Ms Weatherall, a retired statistician from Jericho, said: “Two garages in Headington and Osney Island are serving as our depots.

“We’re doing all our communication by email these days whereas some of it was done by post when we started out four years ago.

“The vast majority of the litter picks take place within the city boundary although people in Cumnor also take part and have an arrangement with Vale of White Horse District Council to pick up their litter.

“At the end of the weekend staff from Oxford City Council come round to pick up the litter and weigh it so they can let us know how much we collected.”

Ms Weatherall said one of the locations targeted by litter pickers is the car park in Walton Well Road opposite the entrance to Port Meadow. She added: “I’m a member of the Cripley Meadow Allotments Association and we do a litter pick in the car park.

“People drive in there at lunchtime, eat their lunch and then chuck the fast-food wrappers out of the car windows.”

This year’s campaign slogan is ‘don’t drop it’, a slogan that is featuring on Oxford Bus Company and Stagecoach buses and black cabs. OxClean 2010 saw a record 117 community groups and schools join the event, with an estimated 1,700 volunteers taking part.

For details and to register to take part, visit oxclean.org.uk The website features a ‘grot spots’ map showing which areas still need to be adopted by a group.