LITTER, graffiti, fly-posters and other eyesores have been blitzed in a town centre clean-up operation.
Kirklees Council’s town, environmental and community rangers joined forces with Metro, BT, West Yorkshire Police and local businesses for an intensive clean-up week in Huddersfield town centre.
The operation coincides with figures released by Keep Britain Tidy which claims the cost of clearing up Britain’s litter rose by almost £100m (10%) last year.
Litter cost the taxpayer £858m to clear between April, 2008, and March, 2009, Keep Britain Tidy said.
The clean-up, co-ordinated by Huddersfield Town Centre Partnership, aimed to reduce litter, graffiti, fly-posters and other commonplace eyesores which blight the area.
Litterbugs and untidy premises were targeted with the help of town centre businesses which provided information for Kirklees environmental enforcement officers.
Letters asking businesses to keep their premises clean and report problem behaviour were delivered and fines and warnings were issued to people and premises deemed to be causing a public nuisance.
Problem hotspots including Upperhead Row where alcoholics and drug addicts often gather and Byram Court which is used as an improvised toilet by revellers at night.
Outcote Bank, a slip road of the A62 ring road, was cleared of graffiti.
Overgrown weeds and shabby paintwork were also tackled.
Julia Lilof, assistant town centre manager, said: “It’s gone really well. The message is that we want to keep our town nice and tidy and a good place to shop and do business.”
Kirklees Council Leader Clr Mehboob Khan praised the operation but stressed town centre clean-ups should happen regularly.
He added: “I’ve always felt that our town centre has fantastic buildings, but the attention to cleansing could be improved so we’ve brought together four large council departments for its maintenance so we can get better co-ordination, outcomes and efficiency savings.
“There’s a lot of work to be done this year and next year to bring it up to the standards that people want.
“There are always niggling things like cigarette butts, fly-posters, litter and graffiti.
“A blitz like this will make a difference and it’s very welcome and I congratulate the people involved but we need to sustain it. This isn’t a one-off. We will be asking for more of these on a regular basis”.
