Axminster's United Against Racism Group held a clean up event on Saturday, sprucing up some of the more neglected areas of the town.

The group mainly focused on the Belle Vue footpath connecting the town centre with Tesco. These steps are used by many residents and can be dangerous and slippery due to a build up of moss and algae, a lack of adequate lighting in the darker months, overgrown hedges covering hand rails, and rubbish tossed into the gardens.  

The litter-pickers gathered in the town centre and collected six large bags of rubbish on their walk.

Axminster Against Racism supporters said they were inspired to hold the litter-picking event by comments accusing the Black Lives Matter movement of dividing communities, vandalism and violence.

They wanted to look at ways the anti-racism message could be brought into the community while also serving the community itself.

A spokesperson for Axminster Against Racism said: "It is very important to us that we continue to have a presence in the town. We wanted to meet people and talk with them face to face about the issues around racism, while serving our community in other ways.

"Our public spaces are a gift and we should take better care of them. Protest comes in many forms, and for us it's more important to have the conversation and stop pretending that discrimination doesn't exist."