2 November 2009, 09/254
Kick your rubbish habits to the curb, urges
Council
Mindless people who are kicking over wheelie bins and causing a
safety hazard are being urged to stop by West Lancashire Borough
Council.
In recent months there has been a spate of incidents whereby
groups or individuals have been thoughtlessly pushing over waste
receptacles and causing a mess, which is a health and safety
risk.
The latest case happened on 22 October along the stretch between
St Helens Road towards Edge Hill University when more than 30
wheelie bins were found strewn all over the place by the Council’s
refuse collectors. As a result there was litter and bins everywhere
- but it could have been much worse if a pedestrian had tripped
over one of them.
As a result the Council had to spend unnecessary time and
resources clearing up the rubbish afterwards. So the Council is
asking people to think of the consequences of their actions before
taking part in this sort of petty behaviour.
The actions may constitute a criminal offence and where
appropriate the police will be asked to prosecute those
responsible. If anyone sees or is aware of the actions then they
should make contact with the police.
Residents are also being encouraged not to put out their rubbish
out for collection too early in a bid to avoid these problems.
Councillor Paul Greenall, Portfolio Holder for Street Scene,
said: "We are committed to keeping West Lancashire clean, safe and
green and I’m annoyed that the actions of a few mindless louts are
causing us such a disruption. It may seem funny at the time to kick
over a few wheelie bins but the result is that it’s causing a
health and safety hazard and is an eyesore. It is also an insult to
those residents who kindly put their bins out as requested. At a
time when everyone is watching the pennies, we don’t want to waste
resources tidying up after these thoughtless people when we could
be dealing with other important cleansing work. I’d urge people to
be more considerate in future and help us to keep our environment
spotless!"
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