Councillor Collects 22 Bags of Litter During Half Marathon

During a half marathon run, a councillor gathered approximately 100 pieces of litter per mile. Stroud District Councillor Gill Thomas stated that her usual half marathon completion time is under two hours; however, this particular event took her twice as long due to her simultaneous litter collection. A total of 22 bags were utilized by her to contain the collected refuse, which notably included a wig, a soiled nappy, and underwear. Ms Thomas commented, “The Stroud Half went amazingly well but it was extremely hard work.” She added, “It was much harder than running a normal half marathon.” Annually, The Council allocates £770,000 towards efforts such as clearing fly-tipping, sweeping streets, emptying bins, and conducting litter picks. Littering is categorized as anti-social conduct and may lead to a fine for offenders. Ms Thomas asserted, “Dropping litter is anti-social and bad for the environment – there is no excuse.” She further noted, “The council has more than 1,400 litter bins and empties them regularly. Anyone who finds a bin is full can report it on the council’s website.” Ms Thomas concluded by saying, “I’d like to thank everyone who cheered me on around the course, and our council officers who work hard to keep our district clean.”