Bins overflow at resort after level of litter triples
THE level of litter in Westonsuper-Mare soared by a massive 300 per cent over the Bank Holiday weekend as thousands headed to the resort to enjoy the sun.
Council chiefs say they expected a rise in litter levels of around 25 per cent as restrictions eased and thousands visit the town over the half term holidays.
On Bank Holiday Monday, crews collected five tonnes of litter in and around the seafront.
The amount of rubbish collected on Tuesday was even higher – weighing in at six tonnes.
Previously on busy days, the council would expect to collect around two tonnes of litter from the seafront area.
Bins were left overflowing on the seafront as council crews struggled to keep up with collections at a time when the promenade was packed with visitors.
Now, as a result of the increased levels of litter, the authority plans to triple the amount of wheelie bins along the seafront.
North Somerset Council deputy leader Councillor Mike Bell said: “Weston-super-Mare has been extremely popular and busy over the Bank Holiday weekend and this week and it has been great to see.
“But we have also seen real challenges around litter on the seafront and around the town centre.
“Although the council did anticipate increased demand and put in extra bins and more staff, these were unprecedented amounts and the extra resources didn’t prove enough.
“I am really sorry that this was the case and was disappointed to see for myself the sheer amount of rubbish that built up.
“Unfortunately, due to the high volumes of people in and around the seafront it was also more difficult to empty the big wheelie bins as it wasn’t easy or sometimes even safe to get trucks down the prom to empty them.”
The council said its new litter wardens were also not fully operational due to the fact that not all staff were not yet recruited and trained.
Mr Bell added: “Our new litter and dog fouling wardens from Local Authority Support are not fully operational yet due to the challenge of recruiting and training staff, so there was not the effective enforcement work to tackle antisocial littering that we would have liked.
“This should be fully in track by mid-June, though already 35 fines have been issued by the team.”
“Our seafront and streets teams did great work over the Bank Holiday weekend in hot weather and busy crowds to try and manage parking and litter, but obviously they were fighting a losing battle due to the volumes.
❝ I was disappointed to see for myself the sheer amount of rubbish that built up Councillor Mike Bell
“So, we are taking action to put this right going forward.”
As well as increasing the number of 1,100-litre wheelie bins along the seafront, the council will also investigate ways to get its collection vehicles along the prom more frequently at busy times.
It is also looking at introducing a special rubbish compactor vehicle to increase capacity to collect litter.
It also plans to deploy additional litter crews at weekends and across the summer peak periods. A new beach litter rake is also already in use to help clean up the sands.
Further signage is planned along the seafront encouraging people to dispose of their litter responsibly.
The Grand Pier already organises regular litter picks along the beach to clear it of debris.