A network of volunteers including councillors and mosque members have worked together to clean up a neighbourhood in Abbey Hills after rubbish was dumped.

Locals rallied after a groundskeeper of St Michael’s Church told councillors about fly-tipping and overgrown hedges around the church's perimeter.

Cllrs Shaid Mushtaq and Jenny Harrison suggested a community clean up and residents of Warren Lane, volunteers from the Ghazali Trust and members of the local mosque decided to help.

The clean-up took place on September 10, with volunteers cleaning up items such as a dumped mattress, chopped-up wood, a car engine cover, and general litter.

Speaking on why he got involved, resident Javed Akhtar said: "We are very proud of where we live, as are many of our members, and we want to see our communities kept tidy and clean.

"That’s why we were ready to get stuck in and work shoulder to shoulder with our fellow residents in clearing up this mess, as many of us live in the area that has been affected.

"We just hope our efforts do not go in vain and our streets can be kept clean."

In total, two whole skips of rubbish were collected, along with multiple bags of waste.

Tukhir Ahed, of Hussainia Islamic Mission, added: "It was a long day and it wasn’t easy work, but we are glad we’ve been able to make a difference to the local area.

"I am amazed at how much rubbish we managed to collect but the area looks a lot better thanks to our joint efforts as a community."

Staff at St Michael's Church are said to have greatly appreciated the work and the impact it has had.

Leader of Oldham Council Amanda Chadderton said: "I want to say a huge thank you to everyone who was involved, and I hope this encourages others to take similar pride in their area too.

"Sadly, there will always be some residents who think it is acceptable to drop their litter and dump their waste, but we will not tolerate this in our borough."

The council says it has issued more than 381 penalty notices and prosecuted 44 people over the past 12 months, which has resulted in fines and costs totalling £26,000.