12:22pm Wednesday 20th August 2008
BIN the rubbish - that is the message from campaigners out to target litter bugs who blight Dorchester.
A new group is calling on residents and businesses to get involved to rid the county town of rubbish.
Spokesman Bob Kerr said several residents concerned about the state of the town had met to plan ways to hit the grot spots.
Residential areas near schools and the approach to Dorchester South railway station are among the worst affected places in town.
Now they are urging others to get involved.
Mr Kerr said: "Everybody just walks past it but there is more and more litter on the streets.
"It's getting worse. Some areas are really bad. Station Approach at Dorchester South station is horrendous.
"Rubbish and litter have been stuck in a chainlink fence there for years.
"Dorchester deserves better than this."
He said the new group - comprising just five people including former mayor David Barrett - had already found support from West Dorset MP Oliver Letwin.
They have also contacted Iain Melvin, who is the headteacher of the Thomas Hardye School, to explore ways to encourage students to deal with litter properly.
Mr Kerr added: "We are in close consultation with local councils and the Stop the Drop campaign organised by the Campaign to Protect Rural England.
"We hope to get Dorchester residents involved in helping to clear our county town of litter and keeping it that way."
He said the group also plans to call for more rubbish bins in the town.
And they want supermarkets and takeaway restaurants to shoulder more responsibility for the packaging that their businesses generate.
The group is calling on Dorchester people to contribute ideas and views and take an active part in the clean-up.
And they are offering a bottle of bubbly as a prize for the person who comes up with the best name for the group.
Entries should be submitted to the tourist information centre in Antelope Walk by September 1.
Mr Kerr said the town's worst eyesores included heaps of cigarette ends left by smokers near Dorset County Hospital and outside pubs.
He added: "The council does its part in rubbish collection but the litter is getting worse.
"There is legislation but it never seems to get enforced."
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