A mammoth 250,000-piece pile of litter has almost been cleared from an Ipswich pillbox.
Wildlife gadget man Jason Alexander has been tackling the disgusting grot spot near Orwell Country Park since December alongside friend Daniel Cable-Davey – with finds so far including a 43-year-old can of cola and drug paraphernalia.
The pair have made a significant dent in the pile, having already filled hundreds of bin bags full of what they believe to be around 250,000 pieces of rubbish.
Now nearing the finish line on their seventh trip to the pillbox, Mr Alexander was able to squeeze through a small entrance to the pillbox to tackle the oldest and dirtiest waste inside.
Mr Alexander said: "When we first arrived, we couldn't even see where the door was.
"We could barely see through the windows, and as we started shovelling the litter out we saw it was filled to the ceiling.
"The entrance was just big enough for me to squeeze through with my protective gear on – once you are inside you get a real idea as to just how much rubbish there is.
"We've now come to a point which is much dirtier – given the age of the rubbish we've found, I think I may be the first person to step inside for at least 40 years.
"The scale of it all is just unbelievable."
Mr Alexander hopes to have finished cleaning out the pillbox by the end of their next visit – having already made their way through thousands of bottles and aluminium cans and tens of thousands of pieces of microplastics.
"There is light at the end of the tunnel," he said. "I'd guess there was up to a quarter of a million bits of rubbish in there."
It is hoped the pillbox will be converted into a home for bats.
Mr Alexander said: "What we would love to do is fit panels over the windows, leaving a gap too small for people to chuck their litter in, but be big enough for bats to fly in.
"It would make a fantastic bat hibernaculum and be a really nice end to this project."
Mr Alexander is supporting the EADT/Ipswich Star and BBC Radio Suffolk's "Suffolk Clean Sweep", a weekend of action ahead of Suffolk Day.
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