Merton residents are being called on to get involved in the 'Big Tidy Up' this weekend and not let “litter louts” ruin the borough.

According to Merton Council, clearing rubbish and litter from the borough’s streets costs the taxpayer £5million every year.

Now, as part of Keep Britain Tidy’s UK-wide Big Tidy Up, residents are being asked to join a litter pick and get involved in keeping the borough clean.

Environmental group Sustainable Merton have organised a litter pick in Morden town centre, joined by volunteers from the Baitul Futuh Mosque, and another clean up in Figges Marsh with the local residents group and staff from The Gorringe Park pub.

The Friends of Ravensbury Park will be holding another litter pick in their park .

Sustainable Merton CEO, Tom Walk, said: “Only a sick animal fouls its own nest. Is littering a sign of how we feel about the borough we call home?

“If you feel unhappy with the amount of litter in your area, come and join us and many other residents who want to do something about it during The Big Tidy Up weekend.”

Merton Council’s cabinet member for street cleanliness and parking, Councillor Ross Garrod, said: “We hate litter and we are taking a zero tolerance approach to the few people who drop their rubbish on our streets at a huge cost to the majority of people who are proud of Merton and where they live.

“Imagine what we could do with the £5 million we have to spend on clearing up after the litter louts.

“There is no excuse to drop rubbish. We have installed over 1,200 litter bins on our streets and in our parks and green spaces and even if they’re full, it’s easy to take your rubbish home with you.”

Anti-litter campaigner Dan Goode, of Merton Matters, said: “It’s great to have the council and community working together, getting the message out there so that we can all play a part in keeping Merton clean.

“The council can’t do it all and we all need to do our bit.

“If just one person from each Merton household picked up on piece of litter, it would remove a staggering 80,000 pieces of litter from our streets.

“A combination of litterers using bins and residents helping to bin litter has the potential to permanently transform Merton.”

Regional Ahmadiyya Muslim Youth Association youth leader for south west London, Aamer Hafeez, said: “Our members have enjoyed living in the borough of Merton for decades and so any opportunity to help our community is a much welcomed one.

“Cleaning the streets of Morden town centre also presents us with the opportunity to become better Muslims as cleanliness in Islam is an important part of a Muslim’s faith. Cleaning the community we live in is an integral part of our faith and a civic responsibility.

“We are a peace loving and well organised association which will continue to help make this great part of London an even better place to live.”

Litter pickers will be meeting outside Morden Civic Centre, by the car park in Haydon’s Road Recreation Ground, at the St Helier Roundabout and in the car park near Gorringe Park Avenue for clean ups between 10am and 1pm on Sunday, March 4.

The Ravensbury Park litter pick will meet in the park for a clean up between 10am and 1pm on Sunday, March 5.

Residents and businesses who want to get involved can call the council on 020 8545 3173.

For more information visit www.sustainablemerton.org.