I was contacted earlier this week by residents complaining about another incident of littering on the B1281 between Blackhall Colliery and Hesleden. Once again this incident stood out from the usual littering offence because it comprised in part of used nappies, with the rubbish apparently thrown from a passing vehicle.
In response to the requests of a number of residents I've asked the neighbourhood wardens and the police to intervene on this occasion, partly because of the frequency of these incidents but also because of the appalling nature of the content and the inclusion this time of potential identifying material. Drivers, businesses and residents alike have had enough of their streets being used as open litter bins by people who evidently have no respect for our community.
I also received complaints about one or two isolated incidents of dog fouling in separate locations in two of the villages in our ward. I've asked the neighbourhood wardens to increase the level of coverage at these locations, and I'll update on progress in due course.
In the meantime, in response to a comment that the authorities never seem to respond to residents' concerns about environmental issues, I've referred below to a number of initiatives local councillors and individual services have been involved with over the past two years alone. A trawl through the articles published on these pages over the years will reveal many more:
Two separate public consultations took place last year on the work of the community safety team and also the proposed extension of a Public Spaces Protection Order in Blackhall Colliery (please see posts dated Sunday 9 February 2020 and Wednesday 10 June 2020).
Last year the council's Community Action Team focused its attention on an eleven week scheme to tackle a range of environmental issues (please see posts dated Tuesday 14 July 2020 and Tuesday 21 July 2020).
And late last year and earlier this year I published articles about two environmental improvement initiatives (please see posts dated Tuesday 4 August 2020 and Monday 22 March 2021).
If you have any concerns about littering, dog fouling or other environmental issues in your neighbourhood please get in touch with me at: rob.crute@durham.gov.uk or Stacey at: stacey.deinali@durham.gov.uk
If you prefer you can report any issues or incidents direct to the council at: https://doitonline.durham.gov.uk/
