The 2009 OxClean spring clean will officially be launched tomorrow by the Lord Mayor of Oxford, Susanna Pressel.

But Friday the 13th looks like being a lucky date for anyone wishing to see a cleaner city.

The number of schools who have signed up to take part in the second spring clean of Oxford has already passed last year’s total.

Seventeen schools have so far registered, with Oxford High putting forward two separate groups.

And so far 57 community groups have also agreed to take part in OxClean, which is to take place on Friday March 6 and Saturday, March 7.

Each group nominates a place in the city that it wants to clean up. Not all have nominated a site yet.

Last year, 1,500 volunteers turned out to clean up streets, playing fields, car parks, riverbanks, schools, recreation grounds and bicycle pathways across the city.

The Lord Mayor will launch the OxClean 2009 campaign at 2.30pm tomorrow at The Cherwell School, North Oxford, where she will be joined by the Lord Lieutenant of Oxfordshire Tim Stevenson and the chairman of the Oxford Civic Society, Tony Joyce.

The Lord Mayor will also take part in a brief litter pick at the school to show her support for the ‘Don’t Drop It’ message, which will be appearing on publicity to back up OxClean.

Ros Weatherall, Oxford Civic Society’s environment group convener, said: “In addition to cleaning up Oxford over the weekend, the objective behind OxClean 2009 is to raise people’s awareness of the litter problem, so that the city stays cleaner and tidier throughout the year. “ OxClean, which is organised by Oxford Civic Society and Oxford City Council, and supported by The Oxford Times now looks set to become an annual event.

For groups still to decide on which spots to tackle, the Civic Society has produced its own list of Oxford ‘grot-spots’ badly in need of clean-ups.

The list includes the city centre sites at the Oxpens car and lorry park, the Oxford and Cherwell Valley College, and Bulwarks Lane, between Nuffield and St Peter’s College.

A number of sites are included in the Cowley Road area: at the Union Street car park; the Tesco and Chapel Road area; Bartlemas Close, near the cricket ground; Jesus, Oriel and Lincoln playing fields; Barracks Lane and path; the path along the stream near Marsh Road; the Cricket Road Centre car park; the area around St Gregory the Great School; Garsington Road, near the Tesco roundabout; and the Crowell Road multi-storey car park.

Other sites in Oxford include the A40 London Road roundabout to Thornhill park-and-ride and the Woodstock Road and near the Woodstock Road roundabout road to Witney.

Anyone wishing to register or who would like to find groups taking part, should go to oxclean.org.uk