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Britain's litter shame reflected in Warminster
(March 09, 2009)A FRESH report Litterbugs highlighting the blight of littering in Britain which could equally be about Warminster has been published today by a think tank and the CPRE writes Paul Macdonald.
Litter levels in the last fifty years have risen by 500 per cent and it is claimed there are now more rats than humans.
Since the 1960s the amount of litter dropped annually has shot up and local authorities are now left to foot a bill of an estimated £500 million a year to clean it up.
Alongside these costs, the report supports the claim made in October last year by visionforwarminster.co.uk (policing and anti-social behaviour chapter) that it is contributing towards increasing crime rates and wrongdoing particularly amongst the young.
“This report identifies the lack of any systematic logic in enforcement policy," said Bill Bryson, President of the Campaign to Protect Rural England agreeing with another 'vision' argument.
"Fines are an essential enforcement tool, and one which needs to be applied far more consistently than is currently the case.
“As this report also says, we need community buy-in to the fight against litter; we must build civic pride in clean and tidy environments, with communities competing to be spotless.
"Only then can we stop the exasperating and routine vandalism of a country so rich in natural, cultural and built heritage.”
Warminster Town Council have responded to one of the points made in the joint report by the Policy Exchange and Council for the Protection of Rural England by providing more public seats with bins for smokers and fast food diners.
The time has now clearly come for the portfolio holders to be created at the town council with one responsible for amongst other things a 'Keep Warminster Tidy' campaign.
*An e-mail request has been sent to the district council asking them to get someone to deal with litter behind the old town hall.