CLEAN IT UP: Campaign to sort out Weymouth's 'shabby' town centre streets

Borough mayor Christine James is using her role as first citizen in a bid to persuade authorities to sort out problems affecting the town centre – and she wants residents and traders to play a part too and take ‘pride in the borough’.

As part of this she is investigating whether the council can employ enforcement officers, who have the power to issue fines, to clamp down on litterbugs.

Cllr James says streets covered in chewing gum and seagull mess as well as unwashed bins, overgrown areas, ‘cluttered’ street furniture, and outdated and poorly-kept signs are blighting the resort.

Issues were raised in a ‘walkabout’ with council officers which has already proved fruitful as Dorset Waste Partnership (DWP) has started to act.

The campaign follows on from problems relating to rubbish and recycling which saw piles of bin bags piling up in streets following the roll-out of the new collection service last autumn.

While this is no longer a major problem, issues affecting the service remain, particularly in the Park District where there are regular complaints about fly-tipping.

Cllr James says she will continue to put pressure on authorities but also hopes to work with businesses so they can encourage customers to put their litter in bins and prevent seagull problems.

She also wants the DWP to make use of a machine to clear chewing gum from the streets and to investigate the possibility of employing enforcement officers. This initiative has proved successful in Bournemouth.

Cllr James said: “This has come about from complaints received from members of the public about the state of the town centre and it follows on from the issues relating to rubbish collection. It’s clear there are some areas which are dirty and shabby.

“The streets haven’t been steam cleaned for a while as there is chewing gum everywhere. Some of the rubbish bins themselves are filthy and there are overgrown areas. There are also problems with assorted street furniture. In St Mary Street there are benches next to bins and a disused phone box which has been out of action for ages. The fingerposts are tatty and some have incorrect information.”

She added: “I want us to have pride in our town. It’s the general shabbiness of our town centre which concerns me.

“In my position as mayor I am able to highlight these issues and try and get things done.”

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IN RESPONSE to issues raised by Mayor of Weymouth and Portland Cllr James, Karyn Punchard, Dorset Waste Partnership Streetscene manager, said: "Following a walkabout with Cllr James, we agreed to carry out an intensive clean-up of the town centre, including clearing weeds and litter, cleaning phone boxes and washing down all of the litter bins.

"We have contacted Dorset Highways about the road signs and bollards, which they have agreed to look at.

"We have also given the borough council some options for gum removal and advised that it would be better done after the summer season, when it will cause less disruption.

"In addition, we have had a constructive meeting with borough council colleagues to discuss how we can work together with the community to tackle issues of litter and fly-tipping in the Park District, including identifying and working with both private and social landlords."

A spokesman for the borough council said it was working with DWP on the issues raised by Cllr James.

In relation to the disused phone box, a spokesman for BT said: “We are very sorry for the delay in removing this payphone.

"The process to get the box removed is underway with a request for power removal submitted a short time ago.

"Our payphones team will work to ensure the removal is now completed as quickly as possible.”

TWO initiatives to make Weymouth and Portland a more attractive and cleaner place, to run alongside issues raised by Cllr James, have been discussed by the borough council.

Two notice of motions were brought forward at the full council meeting in a bid improve the look of the area.

One of these was put forward by Cllr Ray Nowak to campaign for more bins and the other was put forward by Cllr Mike Byatt for a new 'Pride in our Borough' initiative.

Speaking about the need for more bins, Cllr Nowak said: “It is clear to me that in recent times the borough has not its looked its best.

“I have to reflect on what Weymouth was like when I first came to it, the whole place was tidy.”

A group of residents on Portland recently placed more bins around the island and Cllr Nowak said he has noticed a reduction in the amount of waste on the island.

He said: “On Portland they started putting in extra litter bins. I thought that is not going to work but it has. I tried to support them in getting a quote from DWP.

“The real good story is people responded when these bins were used, people used them, particularly people who walk their dogs.”

His plan is for each councillor to pinpoint where bins are needed and to refer that to the council.

He said: “We need a few more bins.

“If each ward gets another 15 bins we’re not talking about big big money.

“We should be able to provide a few extra bins. We just need each of us to say where need bins.”

The Pride in our Borough initiative calls for action on certain issues such as reviewing the contract for street cleaning and maintaining quality landscaping in open spaces and parks.

Other actions include keeping Weymouth town centre clean and tidy and chewing gum deposits being removed, and that the DCC should be requested to maintain and improve signage.

Cllr Byatt said: “Some years ago we did have a Pride in our Borough initiative. It seems for some reason to have died.

“Promoting pride in our borough, that is something we should all be here standing for. We want to promote the best possible image of the place where we all work and live.”

Both of the motions have been referred to the management committee for discussion.