A DISCARDED cash register and an abandoned cooker were among debris cleared from the leafy lanes of Arthington in the annual parish clean-up.

More than 20 residents set out with bin bags to clear the roads and footpaths of Arthington at the weekend, including stretches of the busy A659 running through the village.

The clean-up operation also recovered a handbag, complete with a current Metro bus and train card, a purse containing money, which they believed could have been stolen and dumped.

Chairman of Arthington Parish Council, Nick Brown who helped in the clean-up said Leeds City Council had supplied a skip for the rubbish.

He said: "We had over 20 local people helping this year, and some brought their children along. The co-operation we have had from everyone concerned has been tremendous. We have basically beaten the bounds of the parish and collected up a mountain of rubbish at the same time."

The annual clean-up was started several years ago by resident Roger Quarmby, who supplied a tractor and trailer to collect rubbish bags left at the roadside.

The litter-pickers also turned up an assortment of car parts, a dead Canada goose, a cash register, discarded bottles, a refrigerator and a cooker.

Another parish councillor, Clive Fox said that despite the rubbish recovered, he found the low level of roadside tipping to be encouraging.

He said: "There is nothing worse than illegal dumping."