FIRMS living by the waterside are being offered help to clean up their act, with the launch of a new award scheme.

This has been set up in East Lancashire under the umbrella of the River Enhancement East Lancashire project and the Mersey Basin Campaign.

The aim of 'Water Mark' is to improve the environmental quality of rivers and canals in the region by helping businesses to tackle litter and waste and to provide an incentive in the form of an award to local firms to do their bit.

Firms taking part will receive an information pack giving guidelines on waste management and an assessment checklist to measure their progress.

To be eligible to win a Water Mark award, companies are asked to come up with a plan to improve their waterside environment such as river clean-ups and landscaping projects.

"All too often we see rubbish and debris degrading our waterways. We hope the Water Mark scheme will encourage businesses to play their part in cleaning up and improving local rivers and canals," said Mary Lee of the project.

Further details on the scheme are available from Dave Hortin on 01254 265163 or Judy Yacoub on 01282 661852.

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