London: The UK is planning a cleanliness drive to spruce up at least 12 areas of the country in time for Queen Elizabeth II's 90th birth anniversary celebrations later this year.
From hundreds of locations nominated by the British public, a so-called "dirty dozen" were chosen by the "Clean for the Queen" campaign, 'The Sunday Times' reported today.
The areas include riverbanks, verges, suburban roads, lay-bys and beaches due to their unmanageable litter problems.
A road in Tooting, south London, features alongside a canal bank in Birmingham and a swamp by the River Avon in Wiltshire.
The campaign is recruiting 1 million volunteers to pick up litter in their local communities on the weekend of March 4-6, ahead of the Queen's 90th birthday on April 21 and her official birthday in June.
The clean-up drive is being supported by businesses, charities, local authorities and schools.
Campaign director Adrian Evans told the newspaper: "The dirty dozen share a common theme they are local eyesores.
Rubbish has been dumped by people who can t be bothered to dispose of it responsibly bottles, cans, wrappers and bags".
"We have chosen these grot spots to highlight just how bad the litter problem is and also to emphasise that everyone can make a difference to their local area by not littering," he said.
Highlighting the 12 areas is intended to prompt more volunteers to sign up to join the Clean for the Queen weekend.
The campaign has won the support of thousands including organisations like Keep Britain Tidy, the Women's Institute, Clean Up Britain and the Campaign to Protect Rural England.
