Sweeping
Street sweeping and other cleaning is carried out by CLL, an external contractor. Their contract runs from 2014 to 2021, with an option to extend for another 7 years.
Each ward in the borough has a thorough sweep and clean where needed 4 times a year.
How to request sweeping
You can request sweeping online if there are problems in your street. For example, when there is tree debris such as pine cones, or a build up of dirt.
The council does not sweep gravel or mud on the road from building developments or resulting from work by utility companies.
Spillages
The council is responsible for keeping highways and roads clean and free from spillages. Where spillages are of a hazardous nature, the local police and fire service may also be involved and road closures may be required. Spillages on the highway can lead to road traffic accidents or, at the very least, expense to the council.
Spillages could include oil/gravel/sand on the road or items that have fallen from a lorry or truck.
If you have been involved in an accidental spillage or see an incident of spillage on the highway, please report it. If you have any details of the offender please let us know - it may help us to recover the costs.
You can report a road spillage online.
Private roads and land
We are not responsible for sweeping or clearing spillages on private roads or private land. It is the duty of the landowner to ensure the area is cleared.
Autumn leaves
From mid October to late December our street cleansing contractor works hard to clear the huge quantity of leaves that have fallen from the many trees across the borough.
Reporting wet leaves
We continually monitor how the leaf clearance operation is going. However, if you have concerns about safety on your road because of wet leaves then please report this to us.
You can enquire about leaf clearance online via our leaf clearance form.
How you can help
You can help by:
- taking extra care when walking or driving on wet leafy surfaces
- being patient – we have limited resources and cannot clear all areas at once, especially if there has been extra leaf fall due to windy weather
- not sweeping leaves into the road as this slows down our street cleaning operation - if you sweep leaves into the road after we have swept your street we won’t be able to return to your road again until your next scheduled visit
- composting leaves from your own garden in a home composter
- using the garden waste collection service
- make leaf mould – to find out how visit recycle now or get composting
Weeds growing in streets
The council’s contractor arranges to routinely clear weeds growing on council owned streets, pavements and shopping precincts as required. They use approved weed treatments or remove them manually.