CHILDREN from Tadley put a load of rubbish to good use as part of the town's annual Spring Clean Week.

The youngsters wore helmets and high-visibility jackets as they selected rubbish from the miniature Materials Recycling Facility, set up by Tadley Town Council in Tadley Swimming Pool, in New Road.

Blanche Miles, education manager at Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council, said: "This is all about teaching kids about recycling and how rubbish is sorted.

"Sadly, many manufacturers will label an item as recyclable on their packaging, but it depends on the local facilities."

The ninth annual Spring Clean Week also saw members of the Loddon Valley Lions Club pick up litter along Silchester Road and takeaway managers place leaflets with their food, reminding customers to bin their junk.

Tadley town councillor Jo Slimin said: "Litter is something that most people are not happy to see, but I do say that it is caused by your friends, neighbours and relatives, so people have to spread the word.

"The campaign is not just aimed at children. We have found that if the children are on board, then the adults get on board too."

Pupils at Tadley Community Primary School, in The Green, also found fun in waste as part of the clean-up week. They made masks from recyclable materials, including one like the famous find at the Sutton Hoo Anglo-Saxon burial site.