County clean-up: the crackdown on litter (From Western Telegraph)

County clean-up: the crackdown on litter

15News: Litter campaign - pic

Litter blowing up Dew Street, Haverfordwest, on Thursday morning shocked and horrified passers-by.

Former headmaster of Sir Thomas Picton School, Mr Colin Evans, was so incensed he rang the Western Telegraph newsroom straight away to urge immediate action not merely to clean up the mess but to eradicate the problem of refuse deposited outside the County Library.

I was horrified to see such a large amount of litter, including large sheets of newspaper, blowing up Dew Street from Henrys shop to the Toffee Apple, when I came out of the swimming pool after my morning swim, he said.

I have telephoned the council and spoken to the local councillor, Tom Tudor, about the problem of this constant pile of refuse outside the library, but nothing seems to be done about it. The residents of the flats opposite should be stopped from dumping their household refuse in the corner there, where it often remains for days on end and is scattered around by birds and animals.

Councillor Tudor has been urging alternative methods of disposing of household refuse from the flats, whose design does not allow for the storage of refuse bags or bins.

I suggested putting bunkers for the flats to deposit their refuse, but this was not something the officials approved of. They did introduce twice weekly collections, but the bags are still there for a few days even then. I think a pilot scheme with bunkers placed discreetly out of sight might still be a solution. It is a problem which certainly needs solving urgently. q The countys crackdown on litter has begun.

Shortly after the launch of the Pride in Pembrokeshire campaign by the county council and the Western Telegraph, a member of the public reported a litter blackspot on the A477. The person phoned the Pembrokeshire service line, and Pembrokeshire County Councils area maintenance supervisor, Len Thomas, immediately mobilised two members of the authoritys safe, clean and tidy team. Within half-an-hour, Barry John and Philip Rees were collecting the first of three bags of litter - mostly old newspapers - along the stretch of the road from Honeyborough roundabout to the water tower.

Readers can become involved in the campaign in a number of ways by ensuring they do not drop litter or dump waste, by putting out their bin bags on collection day only, or they can help the anti-litter campaign by reporting litter blackspots on the hotline (0845 602 1386).

CAPTION

Pictured are Barry John (left) and Philip Rees on duty near Jordanston settlements.