Underground, overground, let’s make the UK litter-free

THEY live in burrows and strive to protect the environment by collecting and recycling rubbish in creative ways.

So who better to come out in support of the Great British September Clean than The Wombles — who have been out picking up litter on Wimbledon Common this week.

Orinoco, pictured here alongside six-year-old twins Oscar and Simon Faulkes, said he is ‘delighted’ to hear our campaign is still going ahead in September.

The Wombles, who found fame on TV in the Seventies, came out of retirement earlier this year to back the Great British Spring Clean which was due to run throughout March and April.

They were even pictured with Prime Minister Boris Johnson at the official launch at the House of Commons. The event had to be postponed due to the coronavirus crisis — but it is now back on and the furry creatures want everyone to get involved.

‘We are delighted to be supporting the September Clean,’ Orinoco said. ‘We have been incredibly busy in recent weeks tidying up after the humans, but there is only so much we Wombles can do. This is why we would like to encourage everyone, young and old, to join in and help tidy up. If we all behave like Wombles, we can make our world even more beautiful.’

It is hoped the Wombles of Wimbledon Common will help inspire a new generation to clean up the things that ‘everyday folks leave behind’. Earlier this year the characters were given a CGI makeover as part of a relaunch that aimed to inspire young environmental enthusiasts.