A YOUNG girl took action against the litter problem behind Tavistock College after her dog cut its leg on a discarded shard of glass.

Autumn Miller, 13, who lives in Monksmead and is a student at the college, sought the help of West Devon Borough Councillor Alison Clish-Green to organise a litter pick after two of her dogs cut themselves on rubbish along the canal path behind the school.

Autumn said: 'I was walking my dog and she cut her leg on glass so I though it would be a good idea to try to clean it up because of the young kids walking along there.'

Autumn said she bumped into Cllr Clish-Green, her former primary school teacher, and told her about the litter problem. The pair exchanged a number of emails and organised the litter pick.

Alison said: 'It was a joint effort — Autumn organised the school side of things and I got the council to lend us litter pickers and asked FOCSA to pick up the collected rubbish.

'It has taken a while to organise because we had to establish who owned the land — there has been a lot of background research.'

Autumn managed to gather seven young people who either live in Monksmead or attend the college and four of her family members to help pick up the litter from the canal path, starting behind Tavistock Primary School and down to the end of the college.

Autumn's mother, Madison, said: 'I'm very proud of her. She's always been very environmentally conscious. It has cost me more than £600 in vet's bills because both my dogs cut their legs on glass. I'm hoping this will raise awareness among the kids at the college that they're responsible for their own environment.'

Cllr Clish-Green expressed thanks to Autumn for organising the litter pick and to everyone who helped out.

RIGHT:?Autumn and the team of litter-pickers.