Minister for Sustainable Development and Innovation, Lord Hunt, has in mid-March called for the public and local authorities to step up the fight against litter. The latest Local Environment Quality Survey shows that streets around the country are still in an unsatisfactory condition.
Defra minister Lord Hunt said: โThe good news is that the state of our streets is not getting any worse, but the small three per cent improvement is nothing to shout about. For most people dropping litter on the street is unthinkable. It is the minority who are letting us down.
โLitter is everyoneโs responsibility and we all need to work together; both local and central government and the public, to help improve the look of our communities and put a stop to this unsightly problem.โ
Phil Barton, Keep Britain Tidy Chief Executive, said: โProblems such as litter, graffiti and fly-tipping affect peopleโs perceptions of themselves and their neighbourhoods and can also act as a magnet for more serious crimes.
โClearly a massive amount of work remains to be done to reduce litter on our streets. This annual report shows progress in some areas such as a reduction in dog fouling but the reality is that Englandโs streets and neighbourhoods remain in an โunsatisfactoryโ condition.
โWe need the support of councils, businesses, communities and individuals to help make the necessary improvements and ensure we all live and work in areas that we are proud of.โ
The report surveys 19,000 sites across England looking at environmental problems like litter, fly-posting and graffiti. It aims to give an objective and independent analysis of the cleanliness of our streets and neighbourhoods and identify key trends.
