News RSS Feed


A fifth of York streets are ‘not clean enough’

11:54am Friday 25th April 2008

comment Comments (22)   Have your say »


ONE-in-five York streets fall below an acceptable level of cleanliness according to a national watchdog - ranking the city second from bottom in a regional league table.

The proportion of York's streets classified as "dirty" during an inspection by the Audit Commission was 19.2 per cent.

Topping the league table of Yorkshire and the Humber's 21 cleanest local authorities was Scarborough, with only Wakefield judged to be dirtier than York.

Nationally, York was languishing in the bottom 20 per cent of local authorities.

But bosses at City of York Council today hit back at the figures and said York had made significant progress since those figures were compiled in 2006/7.

Terry Collins, director of Neighbourhood Services at City of York Council, said: "Unfortunately these figures are over a year out of date. Our research shows that in the last year the number of York's streets that are classified as dirty has fallen from 19.2 per cent to 14 per cent.

"We have been working closely with Environmental Campaigns (ENCAMS), formerly the Tidy Britain Group, and they are delighted with the progress that we're making in York.

"Changes to the street cleaning team and the introduction of localised barrow operatives' have all contributed towards the improvements."

York's tourism bosses said it was important that the council continued to work with businesses and residents to make sure York appeared nearer the top of the list in the next inspection.

John Yeomans, chairman of Visit York, said: "These survey results are disappointing. Much is being done to ensure we have a clean environment in the city. The York Pride initiative, for example, has generated improvements and significant resources are directed towards this.

Visitor perceptions are very different. York was voted the Best UK City by Telegraph readers and won the title Best European City last year."

Print article » Email to a friend »

Your Say YourYork Press

Manwithaview, York says...
12:21pm Fri 25 Apr 08

Not really surprised at this, as the Council is only ever bothered about keeping the tourist areas clean. The areas which us council tax paying citizens live they are not bothered about. The picture with the mobile power washer says it all - when did you last see one of those operated by the council cleaning the street which you live in and also when did you last see a council employed person picking up the litter in your neighbourhood? Never as they are all in the city centre keeping that tidy -Rant over

Report this post »

andy2007, york says...
12:28pm Fri 25 Apr 08

I daily see road cleaners/litter pickers round the council estates, but seldom see then on the private estates were i live. I have to call York Pride to get the area cleaned. Which much to their credit is done well. So well done york council, but why the two tier service?

Report this post »

BL, says...
12:29pm Fri 25 Apr 08

No surprise at all. As said above, the only places they're bothered about are the ones that most tourists see. I've never even seen a street cleaner in most of Yorks outlying areas.

Report this post »

hustler, York says...
12:37pm Fri 25 Apr 08

I'm not surprised about York being unclean as the comments above state. The fact that Scarborough was the cleanest was a surprise, however. I was there last weekend, and there was a lot of litter in the city centre (although that was Saturday night, and what town centre isn't strewn with kebab boxes, beer bottles, vomit etc at the weekend) but also lots of grime and litter in the side streets where I was staying (away from the tourist centre). Nowhere near as bad as York, mind.

Report this post »

Rust_Never_Sleeps, says...
12:39pm Fri 25 Apr 08

Strip Paul Willey of his MBE!

Report this post »

Lamplighter, says...
12:50pm Fri 25 Apr 08

So where are these dirty streets? I'm not saying there aren't any, but I haven't seen them.

Report this post »

Peter, york says...
12:58pm Fri 25 Apr 08

So much for the LibDems and their York Pride, as usual all hot air and very little action.

Report this post »

RoyH, WOODTHORPE says...
1:06pm Fri 25 Apr 08

i'm not surprised the streets are not clean, what with all the parked cars & the speed that the street sweeping machine was going at the last time it came down our street!

Report this post »

tonesview, york says...
1:13pm Fri 25 Apr 08

Supervised workgangs in bright yellow overalls of chavs and crims doing their community service armed with brushes and cleaning cloths could be the answer. Start with the graffiti.

Report this post »

Fat Harry, Grimebuster Central says...
1:51pm Fri 25 Apr 08

tonesview wrote:
Supervised workgangs in bright yellow overalls of chavs and crims doing their community service armed with brushes and cleaning cloths could be the answer. Start with the graffiti.
Use the big brush, Daddy!

Report this post »

meme, york says...
2:56pm Fri 25 Apr 08

Supervised workgangs in bright yellow overalls of chavs and crims doing their community service armed with brushes and cleaning cloths could be the answer. Start with the graffiti.

I could not agree more.Why cannot our petty criminals do something good like cleaning raods/streets of litter graffiti and gum preferably with their tongues!!
Last like a bit t in cheek

Report this post »

Redr, york says...
4:16pm Fri 25 Apr 08

Last year I lived in a cul-de-sac in Scotland the street was cleaned weekly by a man on a machine. This year I live in a cul-de-sac in York that to the best of my knowledge has not been cleaned at all this year.

Report this post »

tonesview, york says...
4:30pm Fri 25 Apr 08

Just a thought , how does Scarboro top the table at 93.3 ? Harrogate has got 94.5

Report this post »

Gromit, South Bank says...
5:52pm Fri 25 Apr 08

Its not just the council, its the people who put their bin bags out on the street two days before the collection. Its the people who drop litter or throw their cigarette buts on the floor because they can't be arsed to find a bin.

Everybody should take responsibility and do a bit to keep the streets clear.

Report this post »

Jason, says...
7:21pm Fri 25 Apr 08

cracking idea Gromit.

Report this post »

Yorkshire Tyke, Aberdeenshire says...
8:40pm Fri 25 Apr 08

That's what I thought when I last visited.The town centre is appalling,I did wonder if there was any refuse collections at all in York.Trying to take photo's of various streets I couldn't avoid line upon line of full Black bags outside various buildings(every day),particularly in the Clifford street area.Also noted that wheelie bins never seemed to be put away,they were always on show in the FRONT gardens or left out at the front doors.

Joan.

Report this post »

petethefeet, York says...
10:10pm Fri 25 Apr 08

Have you travelled on the interstates of America? The edges and medians (central reservations) are tendered by chain-gangs. They are monitored by a couple of guards withe biggest pump-action guns you've ever seen. We might not want to go this far but perhaps all community orders should involve local clean-up.

And I'm sorry, but I don't want to hear a single world from a do-gooder christian who thinks this isn't the best path for redemption. B^gger redemption....it's retribution that should be the order of the day.

Report this post »

Papa Lazarou, Walmgate says...
12:33am Sat 26 Apr 08

I'm sure they have taken bins away from walmgate... I had wondered whether it was so they didn't have to empty them and save money.

Puting more waste bins in the main routes students take home out of town would do a lot to reduce late night litter - when people can see a bin they generally use it.

Report this post »

a-person, here says...
7:52am Sat 26 Apr 08

Take a look in Bedern the next time you are passing, there is a mound of pigeon droppings, broken glass in the cobbles and cigarette stubs.

Report this post »

jt, walmgate says...
4:10pm Sat 26 Apr 08

COME ON BOB - GET YOUR FINGER OUT!

Report this post »

jt, walmgate says...
4:13pm Sat 26 Apr 08

when people can see a bin they generally use it.

Yes - to urinate in or empty over somebodys car

Report this post »

Brian, york says...
9:47pm Sat 26 Apr 08

The response from the council was the fiqures are out of date 06/07 they are hardly likely to have 08 fiqures are they seeing as we are only 4months into 08,we are bottom of the league denial wont improve things will it.

Report this post »

Comments are closed on this article.

Bob Peters at work cleaning the streets for City of York Council. The council has hit back at the new figures which claim that a fifth of York's streets fall below an acceptable level of cleanliness

Bob Peters at work cleaning the streets for City of York Council. The council has hit back at the new figures which claim that a fifth of York's streets fall below an acceptable level of cleanliness



In this section

Essential Links

Sponsored Links






Local Advertisers


Local Information

Enter your postcode, town or place name

House prices »   Schools »   Crime »   Hospitals »