KEEN residents reached for their bin-bags and brushes in an effort to win the Best Kept Village Competition.

More than 25 people turned up at the Dovecote car park in Amersham Old Town with cleaning tools to rid the streets of rubbish on Saturday morning.

Cllr Davida Allen (Lib Dem, Amersham Town) said: "People were very diligent and we were very busy. It was nice. There was a good heap of bin-bags at the end of it.

"What we were looking for was a community effort and for people to be proud of the town and show it at its best."

Cllr Megan White (Lib Dem, Amersham Town) said: "We made a start and are very grateful to residents and the Amersham Society, and we now want people to carry on where we left off.

"It had been such awful weather and a lot of debris has swept into the town, so it [the clean up] has made such a difference."

Last year Amersham Old Town was the winner in the section for urban towns with more than 3,000 residents.

As a result the town is entered for the 'cup winners cup' and is in competition with the winners of all categories throughout the county in last year's competition.

The judging will take place, without warning, between now and early July.