Less than 12 hours after the last concert-goers left the final stop on Ed Sheeran’s world tour at Chantry Park in Ipswich, work started to return the area to normal.

East Anglian Daily Times: Jason Alexander took this picture showing rubbish at Chantry Park after the Ed Sheeran concert. Picture; JASON ALEXANDERJason Alexander took this picture showing rubbish at Chantry Park after the Ed Sheeran concert. Picture; JASON ALEXANDER (Image: Archant)

Engineers started taking down the stage that had been the focus for the performances by Ed and fellow Suffolk musicians The Darkness during their four nights in town.

And teams of litter-clearers from both Ipswich Council and the concert's promoters went to work to clear the site of the rubbish left by 140,000 audience members over the four nights.

As well as clearing the park itself, cleaners also ensured there was not litter on the walking routes back to the railway station and town centre - or in the streets near the park that were used by people heading away from the concert.

The work to clean the park and surrounding area should be completed within a couple of days - and the stage should be dismantled and the park completely returned to normal by the weekend.

Anti-litter campaigner Jason Alexander, who collected thousands of discarded cigarette butts, put pictures of rubbish left behind at the Ed Sheeran concerts by the audience.

He wrote: "There were plenty of bins around too. Most items left were plastic bottles and tins so I suppose they can be recycled once collected but still very disappointing."

The rubbish at the park itself was collected by a team of workers from the council and promoters after every show - and was sorted into recyclable and non-recyclable waste.

Helen Pluck, from Ipswich council, said: "The big clean-up got under way first thing. The promoter and the council are working together to clear the rubbish and restore the park to its more normal role as one of the town's most popular open spaces."