COMBAT environmental vandals by joining the ‘five bits’ campaign, park lovers have urged.

The Friends of South Park are encouraging visitors to the Darlington beauty spot to crack down on litter louts.

The group is urging people to “bag it and bin it” by taking a carrier bag with them when they visit the park and filling it with five pieces of litter.

Member Marc Strover acknowledged the hard work of park staff in keeping the site clean and said: “I realise they are up against it when it comes to the number of litter louts who frequent the area.

“To that end, I am hoping to encourage people to consider picking up five bits of litter while they are out on their daily ramblings about the park.

“With a small amount of effort on our part we will make a big difference and improve the overall look of the park.

“Not only that but we will free up the park staff who spend several man hours a day picking up rubbish, to continue with the hard work involved in keeping the park looking as we like to see it.”

Mr Strover asked anyone interested in participating to collect five pieces of litter two or three times a week before bagging it up and binning it.

For more information, visit The Friends of South Park page on Facebook.