A group of volunteers pulled on their rubber gloves to clean up rubbish in Norbury as part of their campaign for a cleaner and healthier London.

A total of 17 people from the Truth About Drugs programme collected 40 bags of rubbish from an alleyway off Fairview Road on Saturday, January 17, in collaboration with the council’s environmental department.

Resident Gemma Pitchley-Gale said: “It’s such a nice change to come home to a rubbish-free area.

“It was always a worry and a health hazard, as it attracts vermin around our properties and also encouraged other people to fly tip and dump their rubbish.”

The Truth About Drugs programme, sponsored by the London Church of Scientology, raises awareness of the danger of street drugs and how they affect people mentally and physically.

To request a cleanup of an unsightly area, contact programme coordinator Tracey Coleman on 07979 750293.