TV presenter and journalist Stacey Dooley got really stuck into clearing litter in Plymouth last weekend as part of her new BBC series.

She donned heavy duty gloves and joined the Clean Our Patch group and 60 volunteers at Masefield Gardens in Honicknowle for a successful day of litter picking in a notorious hotspot.

Plymouth will feature in a 12-part series called ‘Stacey Dooley Cleans Up’, due to be screened later this year, which sees communities come together to tackle the litter problems that are blighting their area.

Clean Our Patch, a group with a track record of amazing work in Plymouth, was contacted six months ago by the producers after they had a tip off that the city would make a good location.

Founder of the group El Clarke said a lot of hard work had gone on in the background to get everything ready but it had been “an amazing day”.

Masefield Gardens was chosen because it has an historic issue with green fly-tipping – it’s basically an area where people dump their garden rubbish into woodland which is inhibiting the growth of native species.

Green or garden waste fly-tipping is illegal and carries the same penalty as general fly-tipping.

A well used footpath through the site is also a problem area for rubbish.

The group has been plugging away at this little area for three or four years now.

On Saturday whilst filming for the show, Stacey and the Clean Our Patch team collected 218 bags of litter plus larger fly-tip waste.

El said she was impressed by Stacey’s hard work: “She’s a real grafter, she didn’t half get stuck in and is really down to earth and lovely. She was clearing up dirty nappies and pulling out carpets and carrying heavy stuff. She said litter is one of the things that drives her loopy.

“We had an amazing day, we had volunteers old and new turning up and we worked together really well.”

El and her husband Ashton Samuels took up litter picking in 2018 as a way to get out of the house and take her mind off a stressful job in education. It was several months after she suffered a nervous breakdown that the group began to form.

“People wanted to come and help out and we started to realise the mental health benefits of doing this,” she said. “We now have 43 groups under the Clean Our Patch umbrella in Plymouth and 500-600 volunteers.”

With grant funding assistance, ten litter picking hubs housing equipment and kit have been set up due to a demand from children wanting to join in over the holidays. There is an educational programme and the group works with 58 schools.

El referred to the team as a “Clean Our Patch family” adding: “Litter picking is the tool but a massive part of what we do is helping people to feel more positive about themselves. It’s also weirdly good fun once you start.”

The litter pickers clear between 1500 and 2000 bags a month and in the last eight years have cleared just over 130,000 bags of waste.

El praised Plymouth City Council for responding to requests for kit and preparatory work in getting the site at Honicknowle ready for filming. The ward’s Labour councillors Ray Morton and Keith Moore joined in on the day.

The Burrington Community Hub and YMCA also opened their doors providing lunch for volunteers, the TV presenter and film crew.

El added that there was still work to be done at Masefield Gardens but Saturday had made “a massive difference” and the natural flora and fauna would now be able to thrive.

On general rubbish clear ups she added: “Our theory is that what you pick up on land does not end up in the ocean and we have so many waterways and estuaries here in the city.”

She said she hoped the TV series would make people think twice about dumping their litter.

“We want it to highlight the problem but also we also want people to see what an amazing place Plymouth is and how people pull together here in a way you do not get in other cities.

“So many people from all walks of life gel together and get stuff done – it’s quite beautiful to see.”

In a BBC interview Stacey Dooley said: “I genuinely can’t wait to start working on this new series, with the emphasis on restoring pride to our beloved communities.

“Litter legitimately winds me up…maybe it’s because I’m approaching 40! I’ll be walking around a beautiful park, and the rubbish honestly infuriates me. We’ve got this beautiful country that we should all be looking after. I’m looking forward to meeting amazing individuals and going to parts of the UK I may not have yet spent time in.”

Other hotspots featured will be in Belfast, Glasgow, London, Manchester, Preston, the Lake District and South Wales.

It is estimated that two million pieces of litter are dropped on streets, in public places, green spaces and beaches across the UK every day. Stacey investigates the claim that littering is a crime without consequence.