Volunteers marked the opening of a new community centre in Dagenham by litter picking in the surrounding area.

Twenty helpers at Darul Ummah Goresbrook collected a total of 31 bags of rubbish, which they say set a new record for the “Little Litter League” park clean up initiative.

Darul Ummah – “house of the community” - in Maplestead Road opened its doors this month and will offer various services including coffee mornings, outreach programmes, study support, recreation and training programmes, prayer services, football, IT support and a cycling club.

The litter picking session was led by Little Litter League team captain Emdad Rahman.

Zoinul Abidin, on behalf of the volunteers, said: “This is a proud and deeply memorable occasion for us all.

“We are committed to spreading positivity within our diverse community and our new centre offers a remarkable opportunity for us to all come together."