Browse Sections

• Education
• Special reports

Litterbugs beware!

25/ 7/2008

TWO new wardens are set to patrol Rochdale as part of a major crackdown on littering.

The enforcement warden roles were introduced after residents said they wanted more action against people who drop litter in the street.

The extra dedicated resources will be funded by Rochdale Township as part of a commitment to cleaning up the area and getting tough on people who choose to drop litter instead of using bins or taking their rubbish home.

It is hoped the new wardens will be in place later in the summer and will act as a deterrent so that people think twice about dropping their rubbish. They will work throughout the whole of the township area.

Councillor William Hobhouse, chairman of the Rochdale Township, said: "This shows that we are serious about tackling litter across all the wards of Rochdale. If you drop rubbish in the street there will be a better chance you’ll be caught and fined. We want to see more people taking responsibility for their actions and helping to make their neighbourhood cleaner."

At area forums, people have said they wanted more done to create cleaner local environments.

Proposals are currently being looked at for each ward in the borough to have its own dedicated street cleaner.

Councillor Hobhouse added: "This is real democracy in action. Local people told us that they thought there needed to be more resource put into tackling litter and cleaning up their area, so that’s exactly what we’re doing.

"We want to help people to have pride in where they live and making communities cleaner and greener helps to do that. We’re also very keen to let people have a say on how money is spent in their neighbourhood – this scheme is a perfect example of how we’ve responded to the concerns of local people."