A MODEL airplane, a plastic dodo and bags full of dog mess were among the rubbish found by residents who rallied to clear up their area.

It was the second litter pick organised by newly-formed community group in Eascott ward, called Swindon Back Garden, and saw around 12 people turn out at Savernake Street Social Hall on Saturday.

Around 20 bags of rubbish were collected by the volunteers and Swindon South MP Robert Buckland was on hand to help out.

Organiser Peter Green said he was pleased with the turnout but dismayed with the amount of dog mess found just yards away from dog bins.

He said: “It was a wonderful day and we had a good turnout of about a dozen.

“The little back alley behind Savernake Street is one of the worst areas, and we had already done Cross Street before so we thought we’d get out there and tidy it up.

“After car parking, litter in open spaces that don’t seem to belong to anybody are a real problem in the ward. We didn’t find any needles this time but we did find a lot of dog mess.

“It’s baffling because it’s in plastic bags so they’ve made some effort to clear it up but then they’ve just thrown it over the hedge. There are dog bins around too.

“We also found a computer keyboard, a model airplane, a golfball and a plastic dodo, of all things. We just want to make it more attractive and a nicer place to live.

The group are holding another litter pick on May 5 at Cross Street before holding their first annual general meeting at the Beehive pub.

For more information contact 01793 251125.