DEFENDERS of Bury’s greenbelt have spruced up Elton Reservoir in an attempt to stave off a so called “concrete utopia”.

Friends of the Bury Wildlife & Greenbelt Defenders were part of a larger group of community cleaners, who took part in the Great British Spring Clean across Radcliffe and Prestwich.

The Great British Spring Clean is a national scheme aimed at gathering communities to clear up the countryside, this year’s clean ran from Friday, March 3 to Sunday, March 6.

Ecologist and group co-ordinator Dave Bentley, said: “The Elton Reservoir area is the only large water body with open countryside in the built up area from Walmersley in the north, to the south of Stockport and thus, it is of regional importance for migrating birdlife.

“Not only that but as we have ten protected sites of biological importance it is easy to say that this is the most diverse, rich and close knit group of wildlife sites in Greater Manchester.

“And Bury’s Labour Council wants to destroy it in order to replace this green paradise with their own concrete utopia.”

Mr Bentley refers to the council’s earmarking of the Elton Reservoir site for a potential 3,500 homes as part of the Greater Manchester Spatial Framework (GMSF) plan which seeks to boost housing in the county up to 2035.

The clean up around Elton and Withins Reservoirs, Manchester, Bolton and Bury Canal and Irwell Bank near Bury Road, Radcliffe collected 60 bags of rubbish.

The collectors included local naturalists, members of the Elton Sailing Club and nearby farmers, all keen to show the area in its best light.

A Bury Council spokesman, said: “This council has absolutely no intention of destroying paradise and building a concrete utopia.

“The council has to, under Government policy, identify enough land to meet future housing needs. Our first priority in doing this is to prioritise brownfield land.

“Our previous Local Plans, which involved virtually no release of greenbelt land, were rejected by Government-appointed inspectors on the grounds that we had not allowed for enough housing.

“This is why we are now involved in the Greater Manchester Spatial Framework, which is seeking to prepare housing and development plans for the whole region.

“The Elton Reservoir area is one of many sites suggested in the framework as a potential area for development to meet long-term housing need. No decisions have been made about this or any other site.”