Pupils have hit the streets to clear up everything from cigarette butts to dog waste in a new campaign against litter.

Children from Chingford Church of England Primary School in King’s Road held their first litter pick this week taking on parts of Cambridge Road, Station Road and Richmond Road.

The new group, who call themselves Chingford’s Got Cleaners, were asked to recruit a family member in support of the anti-litter campaign after a school assembly on the issue.

Head teacher Lindsey Lampard, who joined the pupils on the litter hunt, said: “Our first thoughts were that there didn't appear to be much litter around and we were quite shocked that we found so much.

“The largest proportion of litter was cigarette butts, followed by drinks cans and general detritus .

“We also discovered that the grassed areas in Richmond Road are used by dog owners who, it seems, do not always clean up after their animals.”

The 25 strong team, supported by CleanupUK and Waltham Forest council, collected 12 bags of litter in an hour.