Ashfield joins Keep Britain Clean campaign to get residents to tidy up their act

Litter is a problem that is costing almost £1billion a year to deal with in England, with thousands of pounds spent on cleaning the streets, parks and town centres every year.

To highlight the cost and to show people just what happens when councils stop clearing up after them, this weekend, Ashfield will be among a host of places up and down the UK which will be cleaning just one side of selected streets while leaving the rest to fend for itself.

The initiative is supported by Keep Britain Tidy and the charity’s chief executive, Phil Barton said: “The £billion bill which we are all paying to clean the litter off our streets and parks is just too high.

He added “We are delighted that Ashfield District Council is joining with us in this activity. Local authorities are working tirelessly to deal with the problem of litter but they cannot solve the problem alone. They need support form individuals, communities and businesses.”

Ashfield District Council’s environment, public health and community protection portfolio holder, Coun Andrew Davidson said he hoped the event would show residents how much effort the council puts into keeping its town centres clean and litter free.

“Ashfield is a great place with some beautiful parks but our teams have to work extremely hard to keep it looking that way. Litter is an issue which we all have a responsibility for and while we will of course continue to keep the District clean and tidy, the best approach is prevention, by people not dropping it in the first place. By teaming up with Keep Britain Tidy we hope to highlight the issue to our residents, persuading those who do drop litter to think again and do their bit to keep Ashfield clean and attractive.”

The areas designated for the “Which Side of the Fence” activity are:

Hucknall - High Street – between the Market Place and junction with Watnall Road

Sutton-in-Ashfield – Outram Street - Portland Square to roundabout (near Asda)

Kirkby-in-Ashfield – Urban Road - from Hodgkinson Road junction to Kingsway junction

Jacksdale – Selston Road from outside the Co-op to the Dale Club

Parts of these streets will only be cleaned on one side from Friday 15th November to Sunday 17th November.

To find out more about the campaign, visit www.keepbritaintidy.org” www.keepbritaintidy.org