EIGHT of WGC’s grubbiest areas are looking a lot cleaner this week after being blitzed by a team of volunteers.

WGC resident Martin Waldock, a borough council street warden, has been a long-time litter campaigner, organising regular clean-ups throughout the year.

And the latest event, last Saturday, was boosted by Welwyn Hatfield MP Grant Shapps inviting his Big Society team, known as BigSoc, along to help.

More than 40 volunteers showed up at the King George V Playing Fields car park at 9am, ready and willing to improve the look of the borough.

Martin said: “Ordinarily we might only get three or four people showing up, so having the BigSoc group along to help was a massive boost.

“I knew we’d have a lot of people and so I had chosen eight of the grubbiest areas which I knew needed attention.”

Mr Shapps was among volunteers packed off to the Haldens area, to clear up waste land.

By the end of the morning numerous sacks had been filled with discarded rubbish which had built up over many years.

The MP said: “It’s one thing to sit around and talk about improving the environment, but it can be far more rewarding to get out there and actually see it improve in front of your eyes.”