RESIDENTS of a tiny village made a big difference to their environment by giving their neighbourhood a spring clean.

People from Bolam, near West Auckland, teamed up to hold a community litter pick.

Darlington Mayor Councillor Gerald Lee joined the event in his role as chairman of Litter Free Durham, a Durham County Council and Darlington Borough Council initiative which encourages volunteers to work with the authorities to keep the county tidy.

Volunteer Kathy Pagella said: "We were delighted with the number of people that attended the litter pick, considering Bolam is a very small village. "However, it was a beautiful day and villagers enjoyed the sunshine and exercise.

"Seven bags of litter were collected this year as compared to 15 bags when we first became involved with the Litter Free initiative three years ago."

Following the litter pick, refreshments were enjoyed at St Andrew's Church.