More than 30 sacks of rubbish were collected in just two hours where littering has soared by 250%.

Businesses joined together as part of the council-led campaign #CleanUpMaidstone, which was in force yesterday when teams from The Mall, Lockmeadow, Hazlitt Theatre, One Maidstone and charity MADM came together to help litter pick in areas of the town centre.

Since the lifting of the first Covid restrictions in 2020, Maidstone Borough Council has seen a change in neighbourhoods with the amount of littering increasing by 250%.

The teams came together to remove graffiti in Gabriels Hill and Fairmeadow and litter picked at Romney Place and along the riverbank between Lockmeadow and Tovil Bridge – where they filled more than 30 bags in two hours.

Mayor of Maidstone Cllr Derek Mortimer was there to oversee the start of the project.

He said: “It was fantastic to see so many people from different organisations from the town centre literally rolling up their sleeves, getting their hands dirty and making a difference.

"These sorts of community events just go to show what can be achieved when we work together – thank you to everyone who gave up their time and took part today.”