These litter-picking Leeds youngsters can teach us all a thing or two about community pride

This group of litter-picking youngsters are showing us all a thing or two about what '˜community pride' really means.
A group of pupils calling themselves the 'Litter Magpies' from Bankside Primary School, Harehills, Leeds, are  helping to collect rubbish from areas close to their school.  Pictures: James HardistyA group of pupils calling themselves the 'Litter Magpies' from Bankside Primary School, Harehills, Leeds, are  helping to collect rubbish from areas close to their school.  Pictures: James Hardisty
A group of pupils calling themselves the 'Litter Magpies' from Bankside Primary School, Harehills, Leeds, are helping to collect rubbish from areas close to their school. Pictures: James Hardisty

They are the ‘Magpies’, a group of youngsters from Bankside Primary School who take to the streets every week in their high visibility jackets to pick up discarded bottles, packaging and other items dumped in their neighbourhood.

It’s all part of the wider Keep Harehills Tidy campaign, which was started as a way to bring together residents, the authorities and local businesses to restore civic pride in the area.

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We joined the youngsters on their latest litter pick. See the video above.

A group of pupils calling themselves the 'Litter Magpies' from Bankside Primary School, Harehills, Leeds, are  helping to collect rubbish from areas close to their school.  Pictures: James HardistyA group of pupils calling themselves the 'Litter Magpies' from Bankside Primary School, Harehills, Leeds, are  helping to collect rubbish from areas close to their school.  Pictures: James Hardisty
A group of pupils calling themselves the 'Litter Magpies' from Bankside Primary School, Harehills, Leeds, are helping to collect rubbish from areas close to their school. Pictures: James Hardisty

The YEP has launched its new Keep Leeds Tidy campaign to encourage Loiners to reclaim their neighbourhoods, and rid them of the grime and anti social crime of litter, flytipping, dog mess and graffiti vandalism.

We revealed earlier this week that Leeds has landed 8th in a national league of shame of flytipping hotspots, with clean-up costs for one recent year soaring past £1million.

The number of incidents of flytipping reported to Leeds City Council last year also surged to more than 16,000, a five year high and more than DOUBLE the fines for 2013/14.

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Get in touch and tell us how your community is fighting back against the litter louts - and what you want the authorities to do.

We’ll put some of your questions direct to civic leaders in the coming days. Call 0113 2388918 or email [email protected]