A SALISBURY resident is urging people to be more responsible after spotting one of the city's most popular gardens strewn with litter.

A picture sent to the Journal shows several plastic cups, glass bottles and cans left behind in Queen Elizabeth Gardens.

The photo was taken by resident Mary Webb who noticed the mess during one of her usual morning walks yesterday.

Mrs Webb, 68, said: "Me and my husband go on walks early in the morning because we see less people and it's easier to respect social distancing.

"Yesterday we walked through Queen Elizabeth Gardens just before 8 o'clock and we saw an appalling amount of rubbish directly behind Harcourt Medical Centre, it was dreadful.

"People got together and just left it all there for other people to clean."

Mrs Webb, who lives on Rampart Road, says she is worried that as a result of lockdown restrictions being eased, and people spending more time outdoors, more littering will occur.

"I think it's because bins aren't emptied often enough but it doesn't take much to bring a carrier bag and put it by the bin but some people are just too lazy and irresponsible to do that," she added.

Dog mess is another issue walkers are having to deal with at the moment, as places like the Broken Bridges are "really, really bad".

As "there's no shortage of dog poo bags", Mrs Webb is reiterating the message that people should clean up after their dogs and themselves, adding: "You must know when your dog has done it so just pick it up."

David Bradley, the Environmental Services Manager at Salisbury City Council said: "Whist we positively encourage all persons to use the parks and open spaces we do require cooperation from all users to maintain these spaces to the current high standard of upkeep. This means keeping these spaces clean and tidy out of respect for other users and the wildlife."