Charnwood Borough Council - Leading in Leicestershire

How often do you Clean the Streets?

We aim to keep the environment as pleasant as possible, and have a routine programme of cleaning which is supplemented by extra sweeping when needed, for instance in busy visitor areas or after major events. This is carried out on our behalf by our appointed contractor, Veolia Environmental Servivces Ltd.

Our contractor is responsible for all adopted highway; the cleansing of unadopted highways is the responsibility of the land owner. An unadopted highway is one that is not maintainable by the Local Authority, and are usually ‘unmade’ (i.e. no bituminous surface) or may consist of setts (commonly referred to as cobbles).

Report problem areas
Graffiti Grot Spots

Litter picking (and sweeping pavements etc. where necessary) the main parts of the adopted highway is carried out at the range of frequencies shown below.

Area	Highest Frequency	Lowest Frequency
Pavements	6 times per day e.g. Loughborough town centre	Monthly e.g. residential roads
Shopping areas*	6 times per day e.g. Loughborough town centre	Daily e.g. village shopping centres
Footpaths & Alleyways	4 times per day	Monthly
Cycleways*	2 times per weeek	Monthly
Car parks*	Daily (including Sunday)	Daily (not Sunday)

* Most (but not all) of these areas are covered by the Street Cleansing Service. Some of them, particularly in open spaces, are the responsibility of the Council's Leisure Services, some are on private land and some are not adopted.

We do not have the resources to sweep all the streets at the same frequency, and therefore try and reflect perceived need. We don't always get it right. If you think an area has fallen below the high standard of cleanliness you would expect, tell us and we will respond, possibly asking one of our supervisors to visit and examine the problem. Please contact us and if we agree that the area falls short of the standard, we will bring the area back up to standard within 2 days – sooner if legislation requires a more rapid response.

Who empties Litter Bins and how often?

Litter bins are sometimes emptied at the same time as de-littering and sometimes more frequently. The frequency of litter bin emptying ranges from 6 times per day (e.g. in Loughborough town centre) to twice per week. For public health reasons, twice per week is the lowest frequency that any litter bin is emptied.

If you think an extra litter bin is justified, please contact us. However, we have to consider the ongoing cost of emptying the bin as well purchasing and installing it and replacing it from time to time. Other factors include whether it will it make a real impact on litter and the possibility of valid objections from neighbours and so on.

Litter bins in parks and open spaces are generally maintained by the Council's Leisure Services parks@charnwood.gov.uk or, in the small towns and villages, by the Town or Parish Council. For Town and Parish Council contacts, go to www.leicestershireparishcouncils.org.

When is the Carriageway Swept?

The contractor mechanically sweeps the carriageway, with frequencies varying according to the level of traffic and the location, as shown in the following table.

Area	Frequency
Loughborough town centre	Daily (Monday to Friday)
Small town and village centres	Weekly
Distributor roads	4 weekly
Most residential roads	13 weekly
Rural A, B & C roads apart from A46	2 times per year
A46	Yearly

When are the Cycleways swept?

• Cycle Cleaning Rotas (PDF Document 14.58 Kb.)

Further information will be available soon through the My Charnwood area of this site.

What do we do about Dog Fouling?

Dog fouling is a matter of great concern to most people in Charnwood, and this reflects a national concern. Apart from being extremely unpleasant, it creates a health risk. Dog waste is dealt with through the normal process of street cleansing. However, because of the high level of public concern, this service is supplemented by two Special Service Units which can respond quickly to serious incidents e.g. near Primary Schools etc. To report incidents of this type please contact us.

Repeated problems and any information on persons who fail to clean up after their dog can be referred to the Council's Dog Warden by emailing occupational.health@charnwood.gov.uk. Dog bins are not located on the highway in Charnwood but if dog waste is wrapped in a plastic bag or poop scoop, it can be deposited in any ordinary litter bin. Dog bins in open spaces in Loughborough are generally maintained by the Council's Leisure Services (email parks@charnwood.gov.uk) or, in the small towns and villages, by the Town or Parish Council. For Town and Parish Council contacts, go to www.leicestershireparishcouncils.org.

Who deals with dead animals on the streets?

Dead animals on the highway are removed by our Special Service Units and taken for hazardous waste disposal. If you see a dead animal on the highway, report it by contacting us.

What happens to Fly-Tips?

What should I do if I see a Fly-Tip?

Fly-tipping is the illegal dumping of household and trade waste in lay-bys and down quiet country lanes and is on the increase both in Charnwood and nationally. Fly-tipping is more hazardous than littering and is therefore a criminal offence under waste legislation. New legislation is in train that will increase fines for fly-tipping up to £50,000.

What should you do when you discover a fly tip?

• visually inspect the site, to try to see what the waste consists of, but do not touch it as it may be dangerous (contain syringes, toxic chemicals or similar) and there may be evidence that could identify the culprits
• Do not disturb the site
• Do not ignore it – report it!

The sooner these incidents are reported the sooner they can be investigated or removed.

If I see someone fly tipping what should I do?
We will try to identify anyone fly tipping in order to prosecute them. Any information you can collect is therefore important to us.

If possible, you should write down any details as soon as possible, using the guidance below. You may also be asked to make a statement, so record the following details:

• Day, date, time including the time tipping stops
• Who was with you
• What you saw
• Description of fly tippers
• What you saw them do
• Description of the vehicle used especially the registration number, colour, make and model
• Where were you and what kind of view did you have
• How far away were you
• What was the weather like
• Description of the waste tipped - quantity, appearance, loose/bagged or drummed
• If you can, take photographs (without being seen by fly-tippers)
• Record details of how the waste was subsequently dealt with.

Contact us to report fly-tipping.

What should I do if I see an Abandoned Vehicle?

People often confuse a genuinely abandoned vehicle that the council has the powers to tackle and remove, with a nuisance and/or untaxed vehicle that the council does not have the power to remove. The more information you can give us about a particular vehicle, the more likely the service we deliver will be efficient and effective.

An abandoned vehicle is a motor vehicle which is not displaying a current road tax disc and which is located on the highway, including pavements and grassed areas adjacent to roads. Abandoned vehicles should be reported by contacting us. To speed the process, please give as much of the following information as possible:

• Date
• Exact location
• Make and model
• Registration (if any)
• Colour
• Whether taxed
• Your details, and any other information that may be relevant

If the vehicle is abandoned on the highway, the Council can take action to remove it under the Refuse Disposal (Amenity) Act 1978 and can also take civil action to recover costs.

For more information see our Brief Guide to How Abandoned Vehicles are dealt with.

What if I find a needle?

If the needle is on Council owned land, please contact us and it will be collected by our cleansing contractor, Veolia.

Where needles are found on private land, these can be removed by our contractor but this will require a payment.

Who is responsible for cleaning the Gulleys and Weed Control?

Highway gulley (storm drain) emptying and highway weed control throughout the borough is the responsibility of Leicestershire County Council. Go to Leicestershire County Council for further details.

What standards do you work to?

Cleanliness standards are described in the Environmental Protection Act. This specifies zones reflecting how busy they are for pedestrian traffic and therefore how much litter is likely to be generated. The standards allow us to concentrate on dirty areas and not waste time and money on areas that are already clean.

The standards you can expect

We try to maintain the highest standards in our street cleansing work. We monitor:

• Your satisfaction with our cleansing work
• The percentage of streets cleaned to the required standards
• Spending on our street cleansing

We report on our performance in these and other areas in our Best Value Performance Plan every April, and also publish our targets for improving performance.

• Spring Clean

The Big Tidy Up

If you'd like to make a difference to the area in which you live, The Big Tidy Up and Charnwood Borough Council can help. To tackle an area blighted by litter, why not get together with friends, colleagues, community groups or residents associations to make a real difference.

In September 2008, Keep Britain Tidy will be running a national clean-up campaign, and we'd like you to get involved. There's lots of advice on how to go about organising a litter pick on their website: www.thebigtidyup.org. Why not have a look, and see how you can take part? Charnwood Borough Council is able to supply litter pickers and bags, and we will take away the litter that you've collected at the end of your clean up.

And what's more, even though The Big Tidy Up is running in September, Charnwood Borough Council will support litter picks throughout the year, so you can choose a date to suit you!

To get involved, visit www.thebigtidyup.org to register, then email cleaner.greener@charnwood.gov.uk to book your litter pickers and collections.