A PLANNED litter pick in Barton has been scrapped after an OxClean team leader said the area was “too clean”.

The Oxford Civic Society initiative works in partnership with Oxford City Council, The Oxford Times and communities to make sure all areas of the city are kept clean.

Volunteers were planning a clean-up day on the Barton estate on Saturday, March 7, but following a pre-inspection by team leader Rosanne Bostock last week, it was decided that a litter pick was no longer needed.

Ms Bostock said the Barton estate was just “too clean” to justify her sending volunteers to take part in the city-wide Spring Clean campaign, so opted to send them to areas of greater need.

Barton Neighbourhood Centre secretary Sue Holden said: “It is very pleasing to know that this is how Barton is perceived by OxClean and the city council. It was a pleasant surprise, it was quite unexpected, but it’s good that we have established a good reputation for being clean.

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“If it’s too clean it means the residents are taking pride in where they live, it’s a pat on the back to both the residents of Barton and the city council.

“We need to keep up the work now so we can continue to be successful.”

OxClean volunteer Tony Turton said that Barton was not abandoning the scheme and aimed to take part next year with talks suggesting Bayards Hill Primary School will host the launch.

City councillor for Barton Van Coulter said: “I congratulate the community volunteers for this success, the community itself and the council teams attending to the day-to-day work.

“There are still areas that require improvement but a lot of improvements are to be applauded.”

Residents of Barton are keen to continue their good work, with a community clean-up planned on March 21.

County councillor Glynis Phillips said: “This is a positive compliment for all the work undertaken by Oxford City Council Street Clean team and also local residents taking a pride in their community.

“The initial walkabout had a great multi-agency turn out and included a number of residents. These bi-annual walkabouts are a good opportunity to get people together to walk around the area and see what issues need addressing.”

Mr Turton said Barton being called “too clean” for the planned clean-up was a “tribute” to the community groups who have achieved the status.

He added: “We at the civic society are very pleased to see this working.

“The message is getting across to people in the area, which is great.

“It is encouraging to see over the past few years that the community partnerships seem to be going forward, which is all part of the bigger picture.”