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Nearly 10 tonnes of rubbish was removed from the streets of Ashbourne during a two-day clean-up operation after the Royal Shrovetide football.

The work to return to Ashbourne to normal after the Royal Shrovetide football takes almost as long as the game itself.

It has taken a nine-man team two days to clean the town after the event – with nearly 10 tonnes of litter being removed.

A Derbyshire Dales District Council spokesperson said: “The clean and green team have done a fantastic job of clearing litter after the Royal Shrovetide football in Ashbourne. Starting at 5.00am, the nine-man team have cleared a total of 9.6 tonnes of litter over the two days – and litter picking crews have cleared nearly three tonnes by hand.”

This is just a small example of the litter that was cleared in Ashbourne.

Thousands of players took part in the latest addition of this ancient tradition – which is said to date back to medieval times. Shrovetide ball games have been played since at least the 12th century – during the reign of King Henry II.

The game kicked off at 2.00pm on Shrove Tuesday and concluded the following day on Ash Wednesday. If a goal is scored before 6.00pm, a new ball is released and play restarts from the town centre, otherwise play ends for the day.

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While it is legal to kick, carry or throw the ball, it generally moves through the town in a series of hugs, like a giant rugby scrum, made up of hundreds of people.

Clean-up operation after Royal Shrovetide football in Ashbourne sees almost 10 tonnes of litter cleared