A pair of litter pickers collected an ‘unbelievable’ haul of rubbish dumped along Fortescue Road, Sidmouth.

Lois Swarbrick and her friend Sharon Bates spent two hours on Sunday morning picking up wine and vodka bottles, dozens of tins and takeaway containers.

The litter filled up one-and-a-half bin liners and a large bucket.

Lois, of Winslade Road, decided to act after counting 50 cans along one stretch of Fortescue Road during a walk on Saturday.

She said: “I have lived in Sidmouth all my life and I have never seen anything like it. Once I had seen it, I could not unsee it. Luckily, Sharon thought the same - so I did not have to do it on my own.”

Lois, who manages Sid Valley Food Bank, has reminded people to take their litter home rather than throw it out of car windows.

She said: “I am disgusted that so many people think it is OK to just toss whatever they like out of their car windows - creating a danger to animals and wildlife.”

The pair were assisted by Buffie Cavin and Jan Prettejohn, who took home a bulk of the rubbish to be recycled.

Lois’s husband Tim went out on Monday and said litter had already started to re-emerge on the road.

She addded: “Already there were two Stella tins - it must be quite disheartening if you do live there and clear up and the next minute you have to start all over again.”