STREET cleaners in Bicester removed 8.57 tons of rubbish from streets, verges and green spaces during a five-day cleaning blitz.

Officers from Cherwell District Council’s street cleansing team spent a total of 30 hours from October 20 to 25 clearing the rubbish in the Southwold area of the town.

And 13 homes took advantage of a free bulky waste collection service to get rid of 660 kilograms of furniture including sofas and white goods.

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The total weight of rubbish was about the same weight of a killer whale.

Cherwell District Council lead member for clean and green, Tony Ilott, said: “It never ceases to amaze me just how much rubbish can be strewn across one area at any time.

“When you consider how much litter this latest blitz has cleared, and how small Southwold is in comparison to the rest of the district, it really illustrates the extent to which people are spoiling the area.

“The officers involved have done a fantastic job in clearing so much rubbish over five days, but it is sad that we still have to devote so much time to clearing up after so few.’’

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