According to figures published by GMB
England's dirtiest streets were in the London Borough of Merton while the cleanest were in Kensington & Chelsea, Slough and West Somerset according to the latest available official figures from the Audit Commission. The figures are contained in new national and regional league tables which were complied by GMB and were published today at the GMB Congress in Southport.
In Merton 49% of relevant land and highways assessed had deposits of detritus* that fall below an acceptable level while 21% also had unacceptable of levels of litter*. Next in the league were Hounslow and North Hertfordshire where 44% of relevant land and highways assessed had deposits of detritus that fall below an acceptable level. 15% of streets in Hounslow, and 6% in North Hertfordshire, also had unacceptable of levels of litter.
For all 345 councils in England 12% of relevant land and highways assessed had deposits of detritus that fall below an acceptable level while 5% had unacceptable of levels of litter. 129 councils in England had streets dirtier than the national average for detritus. Different measures are used in Scotland and Wales and there are separate GMB releases for each one.
The figures for each of the top ten councils with the dirtiest streets in England for 2008/09 are shown in the table below.
TOP 10 COUNCILS WITH THE DIRTIEST STREETS IN ENGLAND
|
The % of relevant land and highways assessed as having deposits of detritus that fall below an acceptable level |
The % of relevant land and highways assessed as having deposits of litter that fall below an acceptable level |
England |
12 |
5 |
|
|
|
Merton LB |
49 |
21 |
Hounslow LB |
44 |
15 |
North Hertfordshire DC |
44 |
6 |
South Northamptonshire DC |
43 |
7 |
Hertsmere DC |
40 |
18 |
Bromley LB |
36 |
24 |
Bradford MD |
36 |
19 |
North Lincolnshire UA |
36 |
14 |
Thurrock UA |
35 |
23 |
Epsom & Ewell DC |
35 |
6 |
Paul Kenny, GMB General Secretary speaking at Southport said, "There is an alarmingly high and dangerous level of dirty streets and pavements in far too many places. On average the 12% of streets that are officially classified as unacceptable is bad enough but there are 129 councils in England that have a higher proportion than that which is totally unacceptable.
Local communities deserve clean and healthy environments. GMB know that clean streets are perfectly feasible everywhere, it's just a matter of ensuring there are enough properly trained and equipped street cleaners employed to do the job.
Councillors should be clear that for street cleaning, as for other public services, you get what you pay for. The next thing that failed politicians may come out with is that people, as well as paying their council tax, should clean the streets themselves."
* Detritus comprises dust, mud, soil, grit, gravel, stones, rotted leaf and vegetable residues, and fragments of twigs, glass, plastic and other finely divided materials. Detritus includes leaf and blossom falls when they have substantially lost their structure and have become mushy or fragmented. A significant and avoidable source of detritus is uncollected grass cuttings that have started to decompose.
* Litter includes mainly synthetic materials, often associated with smoking, eating and drinking, that are improperly discarded and left by members of the public; or are spilt during waste management operations. Litter may also include putrescible or clinical wastes, or faeces such as dog, bird and other animal faeces.
June 9, 2010