A NORTHWICH litter pick has been cancelled after the government announced its new 'Rule of Six' restrictions.

Organisers of the Big Litter Pick, which was due to take place on Sunday, September 13, with volunteers meeting outside Radio Northwich, say that following discussions, it was concluded the event could be perceived as being irresponsible, despite the restrictions not coming into place until the following day (Monday, September 14).

Lee Siddall said: "I have had a chat with a number of people including Barons Quay and Northwich town council representatives and I have concluded that it may be perceived as irresponsible to go ahead with the litter pick this Sunday in light of the new government guidance changing.

"I understand the measures don't come into place until Monday however if they are relevant on Monday I believe they should still be relevant on Sunday.

"We have all been doing our best to fight covid over the past 6 months and we can't risk any local lockdown as business are only just getting back on their feet.

A spokesperson from Transition Northwich, Alison Allum, who was helping Lee Siddall organise the event said:

"We're delighted by the enthusiasm shown by local people, who have recently given their time to clear up litter around Northwich.

"We hope businesses will take notice and try to reduce their use of one-use plastics and individuals will be inspired to be more careful to dispose of rubbish correctly.

"If we all work together, we can protect our local environment and wildlife and keep our waterways litter free.

"We take government guidelines extremely seriously and we want to keep our volunteers safe.

"We do hope we can come together again soon to combat this frustrating and needless pollution."

Despite not being able to come together in a group larger than six, Lee is still encouraging people to go out and pick litter within their own communities.

He added: "I would still like to urge people to go out and continue to pick litter within their communities, to reduce litter pollution and build a sense of pride by keeping our town clean.

"Please post pictures of yourselves doing your litter pick on social media to inspire others to follow suit.

"If you are in need of free litter picking equipment please contact Northwich Town Councils clean team or myself.

"I would like to take this opportunity to thank everybody who planned to attend our litter pick on Sunday and give my gratitude in advance to anybody who will be venturing out by themselves to continue picking litter."

Lee and Transition Northwich plan to reschedule this event later in the year and hope to make it bigger and better.