Hertsmere cleans up

Council employees in the London borough of Hertsmere have been taking pride in their local area, with an immensely successful clean-up operation being carried out last week as part of a new initiative.

The event saw officers from the council, Hertfordshire Constabulary and Hertfordshire Fire and Rescue Services join forces in order to deal with various environmental issues including abandoned cars, dumped waste, abandoned litter and overgrown trees.

In particular, the area at the rear of the shops on Shenley Road was identified as being in extremely poor condition, to the extent that participants in the operation returned the next day to offer the shop owners advice on keeping their surroundings clean and free of rubbish.

It is hoped that the sterling efforts of all those involved will serve as an example to everyone living throughout the community.

While residents can expect a cleaner and safer place to live, the clean-up operation also had some unforeseen benefits as officers were able to identify problems with poor parking, various fire hazards and a number of vehicles without tax.

Councillor Charles Goldstein, portfolio holder for community safety, said: "There is no excuse for dumping rubbish, and we all have a responsibility to look after the communities we live in.

"Littering carries a £75 fine and flytipping is a criminal offence, which has a maximum penalty of £50,000 or five years imprisonment."

He advised those who are uncertain as to how they should dispose of their rubbish to contact the council, which would be able to offer advice.

Residents can next expect to see representatives from the local authority back in public areas campaigning for the Safer Streets initiative, a partnership with a wealth of aims and ambitions that include the provision of free crime prevention advice and security checks to people living in the area.

The campaign also hopes to provide security checks, installation of smoke alarms and information on how to stop smoking for those in need.

Published 11th April, 2013

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