The spring clean will consist of various tasks, such as litter clearance, edging off grass verges, cutting back over grown vegetation and fence repairs.

From 24 – 30 March the team will be focusing on the Dringhouses and Woodthorpe ward, where they will be looking to make a difference to Chapman’s Pond and Foxwood Park making site improvements with help from Bootham School and local groups on March 26.

The Friends of Acomb Wood invite people to help plant new trees on March 27.

Volunteers are being called upon to help spruce up Nelsons Lane play are on March 25.

York residents will also have the opportunity to nominate communal spaces for the team to spruce up and help make a smarter York.

This can be done by going to https://www.york.gov.uk/springclean and adding a new request. Residents and businesses can also volunteer to carry out tasks in their local area.

The spring clean will focus on different wards each week throughout March and April. The first wards to be spruced up will be Clifton, Rawcliffee and Clifton Without from 17 March. The team will focus on Ashton Park, with the local school carrying out a litter pick and larger residents event taking place on 22 March. Crombie Avenue park will also receive a litter pick thanks to the local school.

Ed Gray, Community Payback Manager, York and North Yorkshire Probation Trust, said: “I am delighted that we will once again be able to provide the manpower required to support the Council achieve its aims.

“Community Payback is all about making amends, so this a terrific initiative for us because it’s hard, honest labour which gives offenders the opportunity to repay the community for the harm they have caused.”

Community Payback is physically demanding work carried out by offenders as part of their community sentence on work that might not otherwise be completed.

For more information please visit www.york.gov.uk/smarteryork or follow @SmarterYork on Twitter.