There was nothing rubbish about the barbecue held on Sunday to reward the heroic efforts of a merry band of litter pickers.

The group met at the Eman Foundation, Ashgrove Road, Goodmayes and cleaned up the surrounding streets which were strewn with litter.

Waqaar Raja, 29, of Felbrigge Road, Goodmayes, who helped organise the clean-up, said: “It does make a difference. People make comments about us doing a good job and it’s just a positive the improvement and might make people think twice about dropping litter.”

For a Positive Change was a project set up by the Al Noor Foundation more than a year ago to promote community and cultural understanding.

There are four Muslim centres around the borough which take part in the litter picks.