Litter drops across Bath and North East Somerset

The amount of litter across the area has been dramatically reduced over the last 12 months, but we must continue to improve and tackle outstanding areas of concern.

The amount of land found to have an unacceptable amount of litter on it was just six per cent, down from 9 per cent in 2006, and 27 per cent in 2003.

This means Bath & North East Somerset Council is one of the top performing local authorities in the country on dealing with litter. The reduction in litter managed by Lib Dem Cllr Gerry Curran, now must be maintained by the new minority administration on the Council.

The new figures come from the latest cleansing survey. Throughout the year, every ward within Bath and North East Somerset is carefully inspected and the results verified by inspectors from the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.

When the survey started four years ago, 27 per cent of land was found to have litter on it. Since then, the Council has increased efforts to keep the area clean.

These measures include:

• targeting areas which the survey shows as requiring extra attention;
• working with local Councillors to ensure local litter problems are kept to a minimum;
• supporting education campaigns that encouraged people to take a more responsible attitude to litter; and
• pro-actively tackling environmental crimes, such as graffiti and fly-posting, through Environmental Action Days, which involve a number of agencies, including the Police, working together to ‘deep clean’ an area and deal with any problems. This has led to the prosecution of offenders through the courts.

The survey also checks for fly-posting and graffiti. The Council takes a robust approach to the graffiti ­- its specialist cleaning team offers a unique free of charge graffiti removal service to residents and businesses, and aims to remove all new graffiti from public buildings within 48 hours. This is now recognised nationwide as an example of best practice.

Bath & North East Somerset Council has also recently won funding to carry out two-day cleansing ‘blitzes’ of areas where the need is greatest.

To report litter, graffiti, fly-posting or other problems, please contact Council Connect on 01225 394 041 or contact Cllr Sandry or Cllr McGall