THE canal though central Burnley is being given a spring clean by those serving community punishment for their crimes.

The Leeds Liverpool canal is being spruced up by The Canal and River Trust with a Community Payback work force over the coming weeks.

The initiative started with a two-day clean-up event last week.

After hours of hooking and scooping between Reedley Marina and Rosegrove, numerous black bags were filled with plastic bottles, metal cans and other rubbish floating on the margins of the waterway and laying on the footpath alongside the canal.

The initiative aims to combat litter by clearing items from the canal at the same time targeting hard to reach canal embankments that have accumulations of waste on them.

Council’s executive member for community services Tony Harrison said: “Our officers worked hard to get this operation up and running, but it wouldn’t have happened without the great support from partner organisations.

“The Canal and River Trust and Community Payback contributed substantially by providing a boat and a team of tidiers.

“Keeping the canal litter-free will boost the look of the developing Weavers’ Triangle and will attract more tourists into the borough, once again highlighting the Leeds and Liverpool Canal as an asset to the town.”

Canal and River Trust supervisor for the Leeds Liverpool Canal, Mark Ferris, said: “This partnership is a ‘win-win’ for everyone.

“The Canal and River Trust gets the canal spruced up which improves the environment for everyone and is meaningful and worthwhile work for the payback team.”

Council officers are hoping for the joint initiative to continue this year by reserving the boat for future dates in the spring and summer.