AN AYR clean up crew will become one of 20 new litter picking hubs across Scotland thanks to an environmental charity.

Don’t Trash Ayr will be given their own litter picking kit by Keep Scotland Beautiful in a bid to keep areas clean across the country.

The group, who organise clean up days at Ayr beach and other locations across the town, will be provided with equipment to borrow to help with their projects.

The kit will include ten litter pickers, gloves, bag hoops and hi vis vests to allow people to take part in either individual or two household litter picks.

Each kit will be funded by Zero Waste Scotland.

Iain Gulland, Chief Executive of Zero Waste Scotland, said: “It is a shame these are needed, but the litter picking hubs will give communities the opportunity to tackle the nuisance of litter and ensure the areas they love can continue to look their best.”

Don’t Trash Ayr will be the first hub in South Ayrshire to be created by Keep Scotland Beautiful.

It comes as the charity highlight that whilst lockdown led to people enjoying their beloved outdoor spaces, they also saw a rise in litter – with 30 per of people polled in June saying litter had gotten worse.

Barry Fisher, Chief Executive at Keep Scotland Beautiful said: “During lockdown, many of us spent time enjoying our local parks and green spaces.

“Lockdown showed us how important these areas are to our health and well-being.

“Unfortunately, a minority of people have behaved in an irresponsible and selfish manner, dropping their rubbish, leaving it for others to clean up and spoiling our beautiful country.”

He added: “By using the litter picking hubs, people will be able to tackle litter in the areas they care about and help Clean Up Scotland.”