HUGE amounts of unsightly and potentially dangerous litter are to disappear from the New Forest over the next few days.

Thousands of volunteers armed with white plastic sacks will collect the sharp cans and broken bottles that are defacing every part of the district.

New Forest Spring Clean, formerly known as Pride Week, aims to make the Forest litter-free in time for summer.

Jay Andrews, BBC South's environment correspondent, launched the event at the Blackwater car park near Brockenhurst.

Jay made a joke at her own expense as she prepared to take part in the annual litter-pick.

She said: "All my life I've been told to be tidier. It started with my mother and continued with the BBC, but today I've got a good excuse to look as if I've been dragged through a hedge backwards!"

The award-winning scheme was launched by the Forestry Commission in the early 1970s.

Emma Cookson, the district council's waste and recycling officer, said: "Over the next few days about 3,000 volunteers will collect around 1,000 bags of rubbish, making the Forest a cleaner, safer and more pleasant place to live."

About 700 tonnes of litter are dropped in the district each year, despite the provision of 2,800 rubbish bins.