Volunteers turned out in the rain to clean a once pleasant woodland park, now overflowing with rubbish, beer cans and needles.

In recent years Kettlewell Lane Park, in King's Lynn, has been neglected and ridden with anti social behaviour, with frequent alcohol and drug use.

This has led to the site being a local eye sore and a hazard to both the public and wildlife.

Despite yesterday's downpour, 15 volunteers from nearby Kettlewell Lane and Archdale Street teamed up with councillors and conservationists to help the operation.

Councillor Lesley Bambridge, ward councillor for St Margaret's and St Nicholas said: 'After a meeting with local residents and seeing the appalling state the park was in for myself, I realised it was something that needed resolving and it was an issue I took up.

'Children use this path to walk to school, lots of people use it to get to the town centre.

'So for them to have to walk through this park which is overgrown and scattered with feces, needles and rubbish - it is a hazard and something that shouldn't be allowed to happen.

'We know that people have also been sleeping out here and it is an area potentially used for prostitution, so all this needs to stop.'

The park is used as a cut through linking Loke Road and the busy A148 Gayton Road for people to get to school, work and the town centre.

Earlier this year, King's Lynn and West Norfolk borough council brought out the land, in the hope to turn the park into a wildlife haven.

The first stages of the work included clearing brambles and picking up the rubbish.

In the future fruit and nut trees will be planted, bird and bat boxes will be installed to improve wildlife and paths are set to be cut to improve pedestrian access to the area.

Cllr Bambridge said: 'I am so pleased at the amount of people that have come here to clean the park up in conditions which you wouldn't blame them for otherwise wanting to stay in.

'Hopefully soon enough, people can start to enjoy walking through the park and we can attract more wildlife.'