We must keep up fight for cleaner city

Since the Echo launched its Clean Streets campaign to help tidy up our city, ourselves and readers have been shocked about how little a minority of residents care about their environment.

The latest case of waste dumping we report on today will only further anger thepeople who take pride in Wearside’s appearance.

The hunt is on to catch fly-tippers who left a popular city pond looking like a rubbish dump again.

A full clean-up of the pond at Downhill Sports Complex was completed by Sunderland City Council in August, with motorbikes, a scooter, bicycles, wheelie-bins and a crossbow bolt among items dredged up.

Sadly, fly-tippers have returned to the site recently, with shopping trollies, an inflatable swimming pool, a garden slide, and a child’s scooter among the waste recovered from the pond this week.

Today’s picture of a swan in the pond surrounded by rubbish including a shopping trolley is truly saddening.

Now our financially challenged council says it is considering having to install CCTV to help deter and even catch the culprits behind any further offences.

Coun Paul Stewart said: “The pond was looking a lot better for the clean-up, and yet now staff have to go back because some people seem to think that it’s OK to dump and leave their waste in it. Well, it isn’t OK.”

And he has urged people to come forward if they have information about the latest dumping.

People can report fly-tipping and litter to the council at Sunderland.gov.uk or on 0191 520 5550 or to their local ward councillor.

Please don’t hesitate to call. We must keep up the fight for a cleaner city.