An Angus village clean-up group have vowed to step up the fight against a rising tide of dog fouling, graffiti and litter.
Ralph Coutts of the St Vigeans Clean Up and Conservation Network in Arbroath said they are now looking for funding to take the group “to the next level”.
The group was set up a year ago by Mr Coutts who decided to take matters into his own hands after what he described as “years of neglect”.
A Facebook page went live and volunteers quickly signed up and Mr Coutts and his team have been working for the past 12 months to improve the area.
Mr Coutts said dog fouling, graffiti and litter is on the increase and the group is now appealing for funding to meet the challenges ahead.
He said: “My fantastic team and I are in our second year of the group which was set up after years of neglect.
“The place is looking good but now we are looking for funding to take the group to the next level.
“We’ve been doing litter picks in St Vigeans, cleaning the Brothock Burn, putting up bird boxes and building habitat for insects, hedgehogs and other species.
“St Vigeans is a beautiful and important part of Angus as it allows people to relax and keep fit as well as enjoying an abundance of wildlife.
“We feel it’s a tough battle to maintain this though as dog fouling, graffiti and litter around Angus is on the increase.”
Mr Coutts said he’s effectively been funding the group himself with the help of Keptie Friends.
Volunteers currently borrow tools or Mr Coutts purchases them.
Funding would allow the group to purchase its own tools such as litter pickers and they are urging businesses to get in touch to help.
Mr Coutts said: “We would call on anyone who uses the nature trails to join our group on our Facebook page.
“We are doing great work and the last thing people want to see is rubbish, prams, trolleys or litter in the burn when they come to relax.
“We are on top of the area but dog fouling and fly-tipping are a problem we come across and we now need our own tools to carry on the good work.
“We also have a wide array of wildlife in the area and we feel for them to flourish we need to take plastics and other waste out of the burn and the surrounding area.”
