Action call on ‘scruffy’ town Drain issue is down to climate change
ASENIOR Cheltenham politician has claimed that climate change is one of the big reasons why some of the town’s drains are blocked.
Borough councillor Chris Coleman (LD, St Mark’s), the council’s member for clean and green environment, made his comments after a resident complained at a council meeting.
Amber Astron-christo said the town looked ‘scruffy,’ with weeds growing out of some of the many drains that are blocked with leaves and other debris.
She raised the matter during a full borough council meeting, asking members if they were aware that the town’s roads had not been swept properly and what action they planned to take.
She said: “It makes the town look scruffy and puts off visitors and tourists, which may have an effect on the economy. It causes residents of the town to have less pride in their surroundings.
“The build-up of dirt in the gutters
solidifies after rain and is not easily removed by the sweeper lorries, and has become an ideal home for weeds to settle in.”
She said there had been a huge buildup of dirt that blocked some drains every time it rained, causing flooding.
Ms Astron-christo, of Fairfield Parade, added that there was a health risk caused by the build-up of tiny dry particles being blown into the air and being breathed in by people.
In a written response provided at the meeting, Councillor Coleman said: “I don’t agree that the town is so dirty it is putting off visitors.
“You only have to walk through town at a weekend to see the throngs of residents and visitors in town enjoying the parks and gardens, festivals, restaurants and shopping experience.
“We all talk about the big issues around climate change, but changing weather patterns are causing issues for our trees and the differences in leaf fall through the year are resulting in a need to review how our resources are deployed during the year.
“Autumn is normally time for leaf clearance on pavements and ensuring the roads are clear of leaves to avoid blocking drains. Unfortunately, we are seeing trees dropping leaves outside of the normal autumn leaf fall period, including over the summer when we have dry spells.
“As cabinet member for clean and green environment, keeping the town clean is a priority and I am pleased to say that the council has just taken delivery of two new 15-tonne mechanical road-sweepers to replace the old vehicles, which were taken off the road and replaced with hire vehicles. These, too, kept breaking down.
“I am sure these new vehicles, now they are out on the roads every day instead of the hire vehicles, will further improve the cleanliness of our roads.”
Ms Astron-christo said that while she was pleased to hear about the new road-sweepers, she was not convinced that the council was taking the matter as seriously as she felt it should.
She said she was so concerned by the blocked drains that she had taken about 50 photographs of them in places such as Promenade, Regent Street, Montpellier Grove and Montpellier Parade.
Asked what she thought of Mr Coleman’s climate change comment, she said: “That’s completely irrelevant. The council is just not sweeping the leaves up.”
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