NEW greenery, a lick of paint and weed clearing are just some of the small steps being untaken by a spring-clean team with a big vision - smartening up Bridgwater's town centre.

Sedgemoor District Council has forked out on recruiting a new clean-up team dedicated to enhancing the Bridgwater area.

The group has already got to work targeting a number of known "grot spots", tackling a variety of small jobs with one eye on the wider impact of such a scheme.

The authority says that the impact of the team is already evident, proving that the initiative is already a success.

A spokesman said: ""In partnership with the council, the Probation Service recently re-painted the interior of the ReCreation centre at Rhode Lane on the Hamp Estate in Bridgwater.

"The work was completed in three days; the team were highly praised by users of the centre for the quality of their work and the effort made to complete the work in such a short time scale.

"A major exercise was undertaken by Clean Surroundings which involved clearing the site at Taunton Road Pond around the garages and the pond car park area.

"The works involved clearing brambles undergrowth and fly tips hidden amongst the brambles.

"At least six skip loads of undergrowth soil and waste were removed and the use of heavy machinery was required to complete the task. Local residents are very pleased with the results."

But the council says the work carried out so far is just a beginning, and a number of other projects are due to get underway soon.

The spokesman added: "Work will be starting soon to refurbish the benches in King Square. The wooden seating will be removed, planed and re-stained. The old litter bins will be replaced.

"A little further up the High Street, there will be improvement works outside the Engine Room. The raised flowerbed which gets constantly vandalised at the top of Clare Street will be removed and the area reinstated with stone block work and a tree."

* What do you think of the idea? Do you know an area in need of a clean-up? Will this scheme succeed? Share your views in the Mercury's online forum via the link on the left-hand side of this page.