Morecambe street cleans bag 12 tonnes of rubbish

Paul, with the help of volunteers, has been clearing Morecambe’s alleys and backstreets since last October.

Come sun, rain and even snow, Paul and the team have been out there making a huge difference to the appearance of the area. Alongside clearing weeds, Paul is reporting the fly-tipping, potholes, and missing manhole covers.

All work is done in line with current public health guidance, to protect volunteers and the public. Operations are suspended at the moment because of the intensity of the Covid situation.

Paul Hart is the Liberal Democrat candidate in Morecambe Central for the Lancashire County Council elections and Poulton Ward by-election for Morecambe Town Council.

Paul said: "Back in October I started exploring the alleys and back streets of Morecambe, reporting blocked drains and fly tipping, and was I shocked by how bad so many of them were.

"The state that some of these alleys are in is horrendous, many of them are serious public health risks.

"The work we do makes a huge improvement to the visual appearance of the area, it clears away the years of neglect and gives them a fresh start.”

"A lot of the people who live in these houses are the key workers who are getting us through the pandemic and it gives them a big lift when they come home and find their alley, after years of neglect, has been transformed in a day, to pristine cleanliness.

"The work method is that we shift all the larger items and the bags of gathered litter to the end of the back street, and then we make a start on clearing the soil, weeds, and other detritus.

"This deep cleansing vastly reduces the accumulated soil and debris that the weeds grow in so hopefully they will be less of a problem next year.

"I’m really grateful to the team of people that help out. We wouldn’t be able to get as much done without them. It's great to see people joining in and taking pride in their local area.

"I would really like to thank the public realm and cleansing teams at Lancaster City Council for being so quick to clear the fly-tipping and bags of weeds and rubbish we clear from the alleys.”

Councillor Dave Brookes, cabinet member with responsibility for environmental services, said: “We are extremely grateful for the hard work of volunteers from across the district who regularly help to make it a nicer place to live by taking part in litter picks and tidying up their local area.

"A community clean-up is a great way for people to show they care about their local environment and want to make a difference to their community. The city council supports a number of parish and town councils, Guides and Scout groups, local residents and councillors in their efforts, and is keen to support more, when the pandemic restrictions allow.

"Once lockdown is over, anyone wanting to organise a clean-up can contact us to arrange the loan of litter picking equipment and for the rubbish to be collected once they're finished. More information is available on our website at www.lancaster.gov.uk/community-cleanups.”