 Public says Britain’s streets are sullied
March 09th 2006
Seventy nine per cent of the UK public think that Britain’s streets are dirty, according to a survey released by the British Cleaning Council (BCC).This is despite the fact that a recent Keep Britain Tidy survey* showed the country is actually getting CLEANER!
In February the BCC’s ‘Clean Britain Awards’were launched; where hundreds of communities will able to showcase how they’ve improved – and be given the opportunity to win the title of the cleanest place in Britain.
Judith West, chairman, of BCC said: “We are not discouraged by this survey as there are plenty of people working very hard behind the scenes to combat modern problems our country faces such as littering, flyposting, graffiti,dog fouling and chewing gum to name but a few.
“When some people go abroad for their holidays they often return with a rose-tinted view of the state of other nations yet tourists flock to clean locations including Britain.Now UK cities, towns and districts are being given the opportunity to let their tidy efforts shine and win the clean crown, meaning happier residents and more tourists.”.
The survey found that 82 per cent of women asked found the state of our streets unacceptable, whereas 75 per cent of men questioned agreed it was filthy.
Retired people moaned the most about the state of our streets – with 88 per cent reckoning they were filthy. Regionally, North West folk are the most disgruntled at 93 per cent, while those in the Midlands are most satisfied with their environment in the UK – only 65 per cent of those said yes to the survey.
Alan Woods, chief executive of Keep Britain Tidy said: “Problems like fast-food litter and cigarette ends may have reared their ugly head but dog fouling, graffiti and flyposting are on the wane. All of us must continue to campaign for greater respect and a cleaner country.
Instead of simply banging on about the state of our streets let us all set the right example by using a bin and encouraging everyone else to do so, too.”.
Concluded Judith West: “Let’s stop putting ourselves down and instead put the good work of our councils and the valiant efforts of our street sweepers and workers into the spotlight.We are becoming a cleaner country – and its about time we recognised and celebrated that fact.”
* The fourth Local Environmental Survey of England (LEQSE) by Keep Britain Tidy.
Clean Britain Awards
The new Awards make the competition more inclusive of all UK councils.The BCC recognised that not only our cities, but many of our towns and districts work hard to keep communities and areas clean and tidy.
By combining the BCC tourist perception judging criteria with government approved standards – namely the Best Value Performance Indicator (BVPI) 199,we are giving each Local Authority a fair and comparative crack of the whip at winning by looking at how they cater for residents and for visitors.
Past winners of the BCC Awards have experienced a number of positive benefits.These include:
- Securing existing budgets
- Increased sponsorship opportunities
- Increased profile for the Local Authority within the industry
- Inspiration for other towns / cities and districts
- Added sense of pride in the Local Authority
- Recognition from others as leaders in the field
- Allowing employees to focus on what needs to be achieved for improving cleanliness
- Developing a sense of achievement, and greater corporate support
The deadline for entries to the Clean Britain Awards 2007 is Friday 30th June 2006, allowing for the inaugural proceedings to commence. More articles from British Cleaning Council: | 
