MEMBERS of a residents action group scooped an environmental award for cleaning up sections of a local river.

Cloverhill Residents' Action Group, Nelson, were recognised and rewarded in a recent regional presentation from the Mersey Basin Campaign.

CRAG, as the group are known, were presented with a certificate, the Golden Glove Award and a donation to their project.

Chairman David Foster, welcomed the award and said: "We will proudly show this off at our roadshow."

The award was presented by Helen Mitchem, River Valley Initiative co-ordinator for the area, who assisted members of the group in their clean-up as part of the Mersey Basin Week, in October.

It was given to the group for collecting the largest amount of litter from clean-ups during the week -- with three skips filled in one afternoon.

But Helen said: "If people tried not to use local rivers as waste dumps and actually used bins and tips for their rubbish, perhaps the CRAG would be able to spend more time doing more enjoyable projects for themselves and their area."

The Mersey Basin Campaign was started in 1985 and is a 25-year government-backed partnership working with local public, private and voluntary sectors to improve the water quality of the region's rivers, streams and canals.

It also works to raise awareness of local improvements as well as problem areas and encourages local communities to recognise and enjoy their waterways.