BROMSGROVE District Council has hit back at claims the High Street is not being properly cleaned on a daily basis.
It follows a town trader contacting The Standard to voice his concerns that the mechanical sweeper was not being used from Monday to Friday.
He said: “There are two sweeping machines – the bigger one is more effective than the smaller one, but that one is not being used on the High Street anymore.
“This town needs a massive effort from the council and people need to be fined for dropping litter.
“There were more than 20 bags of rubbish collected during the High Street clean-up the other week – I feel there’s still another 20 which needs collecting.”
He also claimed the new High Street surface already had stains on which needed to be cleaned.
But a spokesperson from Bromsgrove District Council said a review of all street cleaning schedules had taken place to ensure the right techniques were being used in the right places at the right times.
“While we have reduced the number of times the sweeper goes down the High Street from every weekday to Monday, Wednesday and Friday we have increased the presence of our Place Team in the High Street to do more detailed cleaning like picking up litter and getting chewing gum off the pavements.”
She added the place teams, which collected litter, emptied bins, removed chewing gum and graffiti, removed fly-posters and cleaned street furniture operated from 7.30am to 5pm seven days a week across the district, including the High Street.
A cleaning schedule supplied to The Standard stated the sweeper cleaned the High Street, along with other town centre streets and car parks, between 5.30am and 9.30am on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.
And the council spokesperson said: “Of course we would encourage residents to not drop litter in the High Street as we all work together to create a Better Bromsgrove.”
The dispute over cleaning comes amidst a bid to polish up the High Street for the Great British High Street 2015 competition.
