A couple of months ago I was contacted by a resident and asked if I could help her son who had been issued with a fixed penalty for discarding his cigarette in the street. I told the lady that I could not help her son as I felt he deserved the fine, she asked me if I was a smoker, I replied no but I used to be. She said that ex smokers were the worst and hung up.
I was in Colwyn Bay on Thursday and noticed this pile of "cigarette ends". I personally believe that such premises must provide a means of disposing the cigarette ends and have reported this particular incident.
In Conwy we have two unannounced independent street cleanliness audits each year where up to One Hundred and Fifty streets are inspected and given a grade of 1, 2 or 3, 1 being clean and tidy and 3 having noticeable litter. These audits are carried out by Keep Wales Tidy and not only look at litter but also look at Graffiti, dog fouling and fly posting. The biggest problem that transpires from these audits every time is smoking related litter.
I have noticed now lots of cars do not have ashtrays and have lost count the times that I have seen motorists flicking their cigarette ends out of their windows. This is a big problem nationwide that needs addressing. Perhaps an extra charge on cigarettes to assist with the cleaning up???
Trouble is Mike they are not cleaned up are they?
ReplyDeleteConwy streets are on the whole a mess with butts.
The operatives cant be bothered to use a brush.
Quite a sweeping statement that anon, one that I do not entirely agree with, you seem to be painting the whole team with the same brush and that is not fair.
ReplyDeleteYou really need to highlight areas of concern and you can do so by phoning 01492 575337 or email environment@conwy.gov.uk
When emailing you can cc me in complete confidence. cllr.michael.priestley@conwy.gov.uk
It is all well and good sweeping up each day, but if you do not tackle the issue at its roots it will continue.
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
ReplyDeleteOscar, I will check up on the mechanicle equipment.
ReplyDeleteI feel that my blog is not the place to identify individual performances, as this is a management responsibility. There is a structure in place to deal with such issues and if residents had problems with the quality of cleansing or attitude of environmental employees, I would encourage them to complain 01492 575337.
I will never defend the undefendable and I make management aware of many issues that I see from time to time regardless of department afterall our frontline staff are under constant scrutiny from memebers of the public and I have asked management to share this message with their staff.
Chewing gum, litter, Dog fouling, Cigarette ends and Fast food wrappings are a problem and I feel that individuals that discard such items incorrectly should be dealt with.
Weeds are also an issue, one that I have already raised with our Highways dept and I believe that there is a weed killing programme underway at this moment.
I think the point I was trying to make in this post was to raise awareness about reporting issues to the council and showing some of the problems our staff encounter afterall a strong wind and these cigarette ends would be all over The Bay, making it even more difficult to clear up and if this premises had provided something for its customers to dispose of their cigarettes properly, we wouldn't have such a problem.
Mike
Was anything ever done about the Chewing Gum problem in Mostyn Street, Llandudno? Last I heard, you said that different methods of removal were being trialled but that was many months ago and Mostyn Street is still covered in gum. :-(
ReplyDeleteSorry Mike but bI do think t5hat you have more power and influence if you just picked up the 'Phone and phoned a contact in Environmental Services.conwy town is a disgrace and you must know this.I do not so much blame the lazy cleaning operative but his supervisor.Have a look on the ground outside the Housing Offices,the Bookmaker.The Blue Bell and George and Dragon public houses.Look also at the disgusting state at The Mail Coach at the butt holder on the wall.Notice also the board screwed to the door where the glass was broken after he last tenant left.For Gods sake we are a World Heritage site within yards of Boblonbeb where our masters hang out.Do not any of the Executives not notice anything wrong with what is rapidly becoming a dump?It truly breaks my heart to see what my beautiful town has become.
ReplyDeleteFair enough Mike.
ReplyDeleteTell us ur Lib/Con view on the cuts?
ReplyDeleteA comment from chris on Thoughts of Oscars blog regarding this post and may I say spot on.
ReplyDeleteHere's the difference.
Oscar,Fester and a whole tribe of "Anon"s can all say what they like behind the screen of anonymity.
On the other hand, someone like Cllr. Mike P. puts his name on the line and is responsible for what he says and what is said.
And, because he is a Councillor, he is doubly vulnerable to being challenged legally (by political opponents and by the Council's own officials).
That means he can't really publish the assertions of others, especially if they attack identifiable individuals (i.e. whoever the Conwy town operative is)
That still leaves the problem, so why not pursue the issue with Conwy CBC itself, instead, with dates, logs and photos?
Best of luck in the elections Mike!
ReplyDelete