New blitz on street grime

5.12.12pm BST (GMT +0100) Fri 20th Apr 2007

Environmental eyesores in the borough are being blitzed by Richmond Council as part of the London-wide 100 day Capital Clean Up drive, with grime wiped from the streets with the aid of the Council's high powered street cleaning machine.

The machine jets water onto streets and pavements, erasing ingrained stains and dirt. It is used following rugby days in Twickenham and other special events, such as Clean & Green Weeks, around the borough. Richmond Council and a host of other agencies are joining in an intensive effort during the 100 day Clean Up campaign, set to run until mid-June. The campaign is a multi-agency effort to make the capital a safer, cleaner, more attractive place. In Richmond upon Thames purges aimed at reducing flytipping, litter and dog fouling and removing graffiti are having real results. The Council is working closely with various organisations including the Richmond Housing Partnership (RHP), the Community Safety Partnership and the Richmond Police Safer Neighbourhood Teams. The Community Payback Scheme, under which supervised offenders tackle litter and graffiti, is also being deployed.

Cabinet Member for Environment, Cllr Martin Elengorn, said:

"We are determined to ensure that the borough's streets meet the high standards of cleanliness and safety that residents expect and deserve. The street washer machine, for example, is being used during the 100 days and beyond and is further testament to our commitment to a clean borough. Keeping the borough clean is something we all have a part to play in, whether it's picking up a discarded wrapper or reporting flytipping. And I am hugely encouraged by the way residents, businesses and other organisations have responded to this new clean up. It is a partnership effort which will continue long after this particular campaign has ended. We all share the same view. A green, safe and clean borough is something we all take very seriously."