Following a successful purge on fly-tipping earlier this year, which saw over 40 tonnes of waste collected in one week, East Cambridgeshire’s waste service is actioning the next step in its district-wide plan of targeting problem areas.

The action plan, which focuses on a series of areas such as gum removal, graffiti and leaf clearing, comes after East Cambs Street Scene (ECSS), a trading company of East Cambridgeshire District Council, took over the delivery of waste collection and street cleansing for the district in April this year. This has allowed the council to take back control and put new measures in place to go above and beyond for residents.

By May, ECSS had already undertaken its first week-long purge on fly-tipping, which demonstrated the vast array of items being dumped, including a caravan, 60-inch TV and a collection of fridges and freezers.

While work to maintain the progress made on fly-tipping continues, ECSS are targeting the seasonal issue of leaf clearing as well as tackling graffiti and clearing gum from the district’s pavements.

Councillor Julia Huffer, service delivery champion for waste services at East Cambridgeshire District Council, said: “East Cambs Street Scene have made great progress since taking over in April and I would like to thank everyone who has been involved and dug in deep to provide the best service possible.

“Since the introduction of East Cambs Street Scene, we have set out our plans for the service and so far they have delivered many positives, including the fantastic clean-up of fly-tipping across the district.

“I am very excited about the next steps, which we have been working on behind the scenes for a while.”

Leaf clearing is already underway and has been ramped up to include visits to village churches ahead of Remembrance Sunday. Also, for the past month, the Street Scene team have implemented a new schedule for road sweepers which now spans across the entire district. This aims to provide cleaner roads and pavements as well as addressing any build-up on kerbs created by rotting leaves, litter, grit and dirt.

ECSS will also be working together with the council’s Housing and Community Safety Team as well as East Cambridgeshire Police to tackle the spate of graffiti tags across the district.

Councillor Anna Bailey, chair of the Regulatory Services Committee and deputy leader for East Cambridgeshire District Council, said: “The relationship between the three partners is something we have been able to make possible, now that East Cambs Street Scene are delivering our waste collection service and cleaning up the district.

“The team have been working hard to bring this to fruition and I am proud with the significant changes we have been able to make for our residents.“

Once a report is made to the council via their website or customer service team, the council aims to remove non-offensive graffiti within two working days and offensive graffiti within one working day. This is subject to the graffiti being on public land.

ECSS will be concentrating on the removal of graffiti for the next two weeks, with the aim of removing as many tags as possible. They are also encouraging residents to report their findings on the East Cambs website ahead of and during this time, so they can be included in the heightened activity.

East Cambridgeshire District Council are also pledging their support to the Chewing Gum Action Group’s ‘Bin It Your Way’ campaign, which aims to help create a cleaner, more attractive environment for residents, visitors and businesses in the area. To assist, ECSS will be out with their street cleansing vehicles, eradicating gum and litter from the district’s town centres and villages.

Visit East Cambridgeshire District Council on Facebook and Twitter  from Monday to view updates on these activities