Thanet council has employed eight additional street sweepers to focus on removing litter and waste from residential streets.
The street sweepers will work in teams of four, seven days a week. Working hours will be from 10am to 6pm from July to October, and from 8am till 4pm from November to January.
Teams will target areas that have higher levels of litter. Photographs are taken by the supervisor vehicles as they travel around the district, and are then examined to decide which areas need more cleaning.
Each location will be cleansed once every five weeks, on a rota basis. The teams will visit Westgate and Birchington each Monday, once rubbish sacks have been collected, to clear any remaining waste. The new street cleaners will be operating at locations throughout the district.
Cllr Steve Albon, Cabinet Member for Cleansing and Coastal Services, said: “We know how important clean streets are to our residents, so improving the cleanliness of our district is a key focus for the council. I’m so pleased that we have been able to employ additional street sweepers, adding extra resources to the team has been a priority for me.
“I’m sure that people who live in the targeted areas will notice the difference very soon. We need residents to work with us too – please make sure that you dispose of your waste and recycling responsibly, and report any fly-tips in your area.”
Street sweepers will report any new fly-tips to the council and officers will aim to remove the waste as quickly as possible to prevent further items being dumped at the same spot.
Residents should report fly-tipping via the council’s online form. Existing reports of fly-tipping are shown on an online map. The map shows the status of fly-tips that are being investigated.
Labour making a difference
With respect Barry, it’s Labour “planning” to make a difference. We’ve heard these sorts of promises before and the area is still filthy. The proof of the pudding will be in the eating.
If it wasn’t for the army of volunteers out helping every day, the place would be in even more of a mess.
Thanetian Blind we hold a street party every few years after our road is swept which rather defeats the object agree! We do have a chap who volunteers and cleans the road every now and again, he is East European, and doesn’t even live in our road!
This week I have reported again, other volunteer litter pickers who have put out several white TDC bags of litter not in my road, only to see them ripped open, and the contents get scattered down the road, which does defeat the object! So, when these new street sweepers are employed, please don’t let them do the same, because unless the bags are collected the same day they will get ripped open by vermin overnight!
Mr Lewis – what happened to Mr Albons previous promise of improved street cleaning. Never happened so I wait and see
It’s the DUSTMEN who should make a difference, and sweep up after they drop things – as they did for decades. Why don’t Labour “make a difference” by insisting that they carry brooms and shovels with them???
“People living in targeted areas will notice a difference” but what about the rest of us ? If this article is to be believed then only specific areas will be getting cleaner streets.
Will these lovely people be cleaning the side streets off Northdown Road too as areas mentioned in this article are of the cleanest areas in Thanet or will it only be areas where Thanet councilers live? Areas like Dane Park Road where tourists walk past the Tudor House to one of the biggest tourist atractions namely the Shell Grotto and Ron Scott’s sometimes looks like a Dirt world Country but have never seen a sweeper go that way.To just wash the frame doesn’t make the painting look better.
Full time employees or agency?
Thats good news because Thanet is the most litter ridden place i have visited.
If we want to encourage investment and tourism its the way forward.
Next may come grass cutting to all major routes into Thanet followed by weed killing on a regular basis during the growing season. WE HOPE
Followed by higher property taxes.
That is down to KCC
Why just MAJOR routes? Aim high!
No, don’t cut the grass verges. We need all the rewilding we can get for ever dwindling pollinator counts. It looks better seeing wild flowers over cut grass. It also helps with rain retention/surface flooding in rain.
Nice one TDC – I concur Barry.
Oh wait what about all those heroic litter pickers we have? Hope they leave some for them or they will have no pics to post on Fookbook 🙂
Good news. I have to say that I have been cynical about any difference it would make to just change from Tory to Labour as the finances available to both are the same. So how would things improve much if TDC went Labour properly?
But, I have to say that the current lot are genuinely trying to make a difference even though it has to involve small things like a few extra cleaning staff or a few flats and houses being purchased for rent .
But, as I say, they are trying within very limited circumstances. And it suggests that a lot of improvements MIGHT have been made by the previous Tory administration but the Tories just didn’t WANT to make them, preferring to hide behind “we can’t afford it!”
But, to make real improvements ,we will need a Westminster government that refuses all this “we have no money, we have to pay our debts” nonsense.(The vast majority of the UK “debt” is owed to the Bank of England. In other words, we owe it to ourselves!)
But Starmer DOES believe the “debt” nonsense, so I fear that these few, small improvements are all we are going to get as long as Parliament stays in the usual Tory/Labour hands.
Good news!
a bit like painting the forth bridge , but at least somethings getting done about this mess , i dread to think what it will be like when the tip closes though
Any increase in essential services has to be welcomed. I’m wondering what these new street cleaning people will be doing during Feb, Mch, April and June? Will they be temps or permanent staff? Are these new posts or relocations from other services for the 7 months stated?
I also wonder if TDC will co-ordinate with town services and volunteer groups?
What are they doing in May?
Good news if work carried out, but do fear that they will always be in cliftonville as they seem unwilling to use bin’s and never hear of fines issued.
Many good people in cliftonville but we are all aware of the high number that don’t
Great news out of TDC for a change.
#buildonbrownfieldbuildonmanston
Great new that we’re hiring extra people to do what used to be the dustbin men’s job? How do you work that one out?
The training required before allowing the cleaners out onto the streets is now very difficult, I remember the days when they just picked it up as they went along.
It must be quite tricky showing people which end of the broom they should use.
So Phyllis Quot you are sent to pick up some fly tipping.
How do you know what’s in there ? Needles & sharps, human waste, or do you just charge in with your broom ?
TDC have a duty of care
Shovel – lorry – jobs a good’n.
Wear protective footwear and gloves. But then, that just common sense.
You’re aware hypodermic needles can pierce most gloves, correct? You’re aware that human waste (biohazard) cannot be mixed in with traditional household waste and white goods, correct? You’re aware of the procedure in case of needle stick injury or cut by bladed article, correct?
Your common sense is neither common, nor sense based on time served experience. you’ve just made yourself look rather daft.
This is great news and lets hope us residents see the difference as well as visitors.
On a separate note – I can’t work out why we allow people to just get up from a day spent on the beach and just walk away from their litter without intervention from an official – do the bay inspectors have any power to intervene
Do they get a certificate once they complete the course. City and guilds on the back of there truck
“Their” truck.
COME TO NEWINGTON ESTATE – ITS A DUMP-THEN AGAIN I DONT CARE AS AM MOVING.
So, Mark, what was the point of this post, exactly? Just willy waving?
I read the comments on here about public sector workers. I wonder why anyone would want to work with the people of thanet.
The people of thanet moan continuously about anyone in public services, from the police, nhs, teachers, bin-men etc etc.
They expect these people to work for peanuts, ignore H&S put themselves at risk and not being able to afford to heat or eat.
Thanet really dorsnt deserve these hard working public workers
Confused, I’m happy to say I’ve had great moments with RTC staff on litter picks, gardening, parades and shelter painting. They are committed to their jobs and good at them too.
Shame they can’t sort the drug dealers/users out in Thompsons Passage/benches at the front of Clarendon school then eh? Regularly see people skinning up and shooting up in the alley and on the benches. I’ve even seen RTC cleaning around them…
If “gull-proof” waste bins were installed that might significantly reduce the problem in some areas.
Why not have mini motor sweepers liked they have elsewhere, I was on holiday and every day a man drove past doing the sweep, much quicker and he did a good job.
Along the CB pavement and yellow lines of course.