WHEN it comes to litter, Gazette readers have plenty to say.
In response to our Litter - Let's Bin It campaign, scores of readers have written, e-mailed and called our office to highlight areas of the borough that are blighted by litter.
Details of the blackspots, which range from car park hedges in Basingstoke town centre to heath land in Tadley, have been passed to Basingstoke council, and Vic Lee, the head of street care for the borough, has told The Gazette what the council is doing to clear them up.
James Price, who lives in Kennet Way, Oakley, wrote to nominate the lay-by in Kennet Way as one local litter eyesore.
He said: "Young people pull in there to meet, and when they've finished eating their takeaways they just throw the rubbish out the car window. Every morning there is fresh litter there."
Meanwhile, another Gazette reader, Margaret O'Neill, of Norn Hill Close, Basingstoke, wrote to complain about the alleyway next to The Castle pub in Norn Hill, and the hedges by the IBM car park in Alencon Link.
In her letter, Mrs O'Neill, 73, wrote: "If the street clean-up comes to fruition it will be a good start to 2004. The alleyway is always full of litter, and the hedges bordering the IBM car park are knee-deep in rubbish of all kinds. The people collecting the litter never seem to go from the main roads to those paths used by us pedestrians."
Tadley town councillor Jo Slimin called to nominate Wigmore Heath in Tadley. She said: "It's a wide open space, and a lot of people use it as a shortcut. There is an awful lot of rubbish that gets thrown off the path like drinks bottles and crisp packets, and some undelivered newspapers. It takes a lot to keep it tidy."
David Pengelly, of Coleman Close, Oakridge, called to nominate the Oakridge shopping area. Mr Pengelly, who works as a van driver, said: "All the bins have been removed so the rubbish there is absolutely disgusting. No-one has cleared up the litter for months.
"It seems like the litter doesn't matter here because all the attention is on the regeneration scheme. But we still have to live here and until it's all built it's going to be a tip.
"All we want is someone to come and clear up the rubbish on a regular basis."
Raymond Wythe, of Farm View Drive, Chineham, called to nominate Crockford Lane. He said: "It's a favourite dumping spot. People seem to bring their rubbish down and leave it. They must come at night in vans. There was even an old bed mattress and base there the other week. There's a law against fly-tipping but people get away with it all the time."
Street care boss Mr Lee said: "We are aware of the problems experienced in these areas.
"Where it is our responsibility, regular cleansing is carried out. In areas that are privately owned, the council encourages the landowners to keep their land free from litter.
"During the last nine months, in the period up to December 31, 2,044 observations and complaints were received by the council. All complaints are dealt with, but it must be recognised that these are in addition to our scheduled routines and that, in line with Government Best Practice, the dirtiest areas must be given priority."
Mr Lee told The Gazette the new community wardens are in the process of noting and reporting litter problems, and added that these reports will be picked up by the six street care management officers, who run street cleaning teams across the borough.
He said the council's environmental services section, which has won four prestigious Green Apple Awards from the Green Organisation, runs several workshops in the borough's senior schools as part of the citizenship programme, as well as other educational projects.
Mr Lee added that the council is also heavily involved in community projects such as litter-picks, as well as the nationwide Environmental Awareness Weeks promoted by the Keep Britain Tidy campaign.
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