Hounslow Councl Pledges ' War On Grime'

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Leaf patrols in Chiswick to increase and litter louts targeted

Hounslow Council’s war on grime crime continued this week as a team of police officers and Hounslow Highways community environment officers were out and about in Chiswick. They have warned that they will be clamping down on litterlouts and may use CCTV to target fly-tipping hotspots in the New Year.

But they also said they would step up cleansing with extra crews and leafing patrols to clear levels at this "tricky" time of year.

Many people in Chiswick have complained lately about the piles of uncollected leaves in the area.

Councillor Colin Ellar , deputy leader and cabinet member for environment, warned litterlouts that the clampdown will carry on. 

He said: “We have tried to take an educational approach on littering but frankly there seems to be a hard core of people out there who simply don’t care.”  

“This is why we took the decision last month to take the gloves off and get tough.

“This resulted in the first fines being issued by Hounslow Highways on littering. We are taking a zero tolerance approach to littering, so my message is simple – if you don’t want to face a fine, don’t do the grime crime.” 

Hounslow Highways Service Director Rob Gillespie said: “We have increased our cleansing regime by bringing in extra cleansing crews and are stepping up our leafing patrols to clear the leaves at this tricky time of the year.

”Our community environment officers will also be out and about more often, reiterating to residents and businesses that correct waste disposal is everyone’s responsibility. We all need to help create a greener, cleaner borough.”  

The continuing litter clampdown will feature CCTV cameras being deployed in fly-tipping hot spots in the New Year. It will also run alongside an intensification of street cleaning by Hounslow Highways, including: 

• A special leafing hotspot reaction service . If you have noticed a leafing ‘hotspot’ you can email feedback@hounslow.gov.uk and we will ensure the area is dealt with as quickly as possible.
• 15 additional street cleansing teams deployed in residential roads to ensure the borough are kept clean.
• A doubling up of barrow walks - Hounslow Highways have doubled up their resources on barrow walks to achieve a more thorough clean. The doubled up teams will work on every barrow walk over an eight week cycle to ensure every street is attended to.
• Five extra walks. Hounslow Highways has established an extra five ‘manors’ or ‘routes’ that cover the main roads around the Borough, which allows cleansing operatives to focus more attention on residential roads. This will mean pavements are swept to remove litter and detritus in a more focused way. 

Cllr Colin Ellar added: “We have instructed Hounslow Highways to step up its street cleaning regime too and these new initiatives are the result.”  

To report littering, fly tipping or any other environmental crime, you can contact Hounslow Highways by visiting http://www.hounslowhighways.org or call 0208 583 2000. You can also send an email to Hounslow Council by emailing customerservice@hounslow.gov.uk or send a tweet @Hounslowhways.

 

December 13, 2013