During March, the council will focus on supporting hard-working residents committed to keeping their neighbourhood looking – and staying – tidy.

So far, community groups such as the Friends of Leeman Park have committed to spruce up a play ground, Lindsey Avenue Residents’ Association will be encouraging people to recycle even more and the Dunnington in Bloom team will be concentrating their efforts on tidying a layby on the A1079.

Smarter York officers will be working with local businesses to brush up their immediate area as it’s good for business and for the surrounding community.

Pupils at Woodthorpe Primary School are among the York schools being encouraged to spend an hour of the last afternoon of the spring term having a Spring Clean.

Students are also being approached to join in, as well as staff at City of York Council who are being encouraged to go out and help in their own neighbourhoods as part of the ongoing support the council gives them to volunteer to boost the quality of life in York.

The council is also working with the Humberside, Lincolnshire and North Yorkshire Community Rehabilitation Company for offenders sentenced to Community Payback to undertake spring cleaning tasks such as painting over graffiti, fixing broken fencing, picking litter and clearing overgrown areas. Community Payback is physically-demanding work which might otherwise not be done, and is performed by offenders who are supervised by Community Rehabilitation Companies as part of their community sentence.

Anyone who wants to take part can contact any of the groups named above, or they can email smarter.york@york.gov.uk or call 01904 551551. An officer will get in touch to find out how much and what kind of help is available, where and for how long. They’ll also give health and safety advice as well as letting people know where they can collect bin bags from and where the full, tied ones should be left. Individuals wanting to do their bit independently are advised to wear gloves when collecting plastics, tin foil, paper and cardboard, cans and tins but should contact Smarter York if they find needles, syringes, asbestos, dog fouling or other potentially unsafe substances. Care should always be taken to avoid litter picking close to rivers and on roads and private property.

Ed Gray, Community Payback Manager, Humberside, Lincolnshire and North Yorkshire Community Rehabilitation Company, said: “The annual Spring Clean is now in its third year and we are delighted to once again join forces with the Council on this initiative to provide the manpower required. The Spring Clean is a terrific initiative which sees offenders giving visible and demanding payback to local communities where they have caused most harm through their offending.”

Smarter York aims to help volunteers from our local communities and businesses to maintain a clean, green and safe environment for York. The initiative encourages and works with residents to create attractive neighbourhoods with a real sense of community and to tackle the things that can spoil our neighbourhoods for example littering or graffiti.

For more information about the Big Spring Clean, visit www.york.gov.uk/smarteryork email smarter.york@york.gov.uk, call 01904 551551, follow @CityofYork #SmarterYork or download the Smarter York app now for free from the app store.