The fountain in Huddersfield’s St George’s Square is to be repaired and restored.
Kirklees Council is to appoint a specialist contractor to revamp the £230,000 centrepiece which has been out of action this summer.
Grimebuster Charlie Cartwright cleaned the fountain five years ago in return for a £300 donation to Kirkwood Hospice.
After seeing the state of the fountain this year he offered to do the same again – and was ready for whenever the council gave him the go-ahead.
But the council has now declined Charlie’s offer saying the fountain needs specialist work which will be carried out “in the near future.”
Kirklees Council previously admitted it couldn’t remove some tough stains from the black granite but Charlie was confident he could get it clean.
See pictures of Charlie's last clean up below
“It’s in a state and needs sorting out,” said Charlie. “There is vegetation growing on it and the other week I looked in and there was a rotting headless pigeon in there.
“It’s been like that for months and I’m pleased the council is doing something but when will it happen? That’s the question.”
A council spokesman said: “Whilst we appreciate Mr Cartwright’s offer, the fountain requires specialist repairs and we have commissioned a contractor to come and chemically clean the fountain – a less abrasive method that maintains the stones surface – and carry out the specialist repairs required.
“When the fountain is fixed it will both run efficiently and be, to some extent, self-cleaning.
“We hope that the repairs will be completed in the near future. The majority of staining is because the fountain is currently inactive.”
