Volunteers give Royal Mile a spring clean

VOLUNTEERS were joining council staff today to give the Royal Mile a spring clean.

Graffiti will be removed and litter picked up along the historic thoroughfare, while stickers will be peeled from signposts and utility boxes.

Residents and local business owners will split into four teams to tackle Castlehill and the Lawnmarket, High Street to the North Bridge, High Street to St Mary’s Street and the Canongate.

Police officers and students from Edinburgh University will also take part in the spring clean, which proved a success last year.

Councillor Lesley Hinds, the city’s environment convener, said she hoped the clean-up would inspire similar initiatives elsewhere in the Capital.

She said: “The Royal Mile clean-up is a great example of how the council can work together with organisations and communities to spruce up an area and combat particular issues.

“Initiatives like this improve the quality of life of an area and help to instil a shared pride in keeping it looking attractive, and I hope we’ll see this joined-up approach being adopted in other parts of the city.”