The Afon Cegin clean-up gave locals a sense of ownership

Bangor's Maesgerchan housing estate and adjacent Llandygai Industrial Estate have been targeted as the first areas to benefit from the project.

This campaign is aimed at the clean up of Afon Cegin, running between the two estates, which has suffered from fly-tipping in the past.

Last week, the campaign kicked off with a major clean-up of the river by a group representing the Environment Agency, Keep Wales Tidy and Communities First volunteers from the housing estate.

We are determined to see this partnership continue so that everybody living and working in the area can share the benefits of an improved environment Berwyn Williams, Environment Agency

Skips and other materials used in the clean-up were donated by Gwynedd Council.

"The response from those involved, especially the young people, was very enthusiastic and they felt it gave them a sense of ownership," said agency environment officer, Berwyn Williams.

"They said they were now more aware of the opportunities to improve their quality of life as well as the environment and were keen to see the project develop further."

As well as the clean-up there were fishery demonstrations and discussions on the possibilities of creating improved habitats for wildlife in the area, such as otter holts.

"We are determined to see this partnership continue so that everybody living and working in the area can share the benefits of an improved environment," he added.