One in 10 streets classed as dirty

Streets in Oldham are cleaner than others in England but still more than one in 10 is classed as dirty.

Councils across the country are being urged to spend more on cleaning after a study found an “alarmingly high and dangerous” level of dirty streets and pavements in many areas.

A list of the filthiest places in the region, compiled from data published by the GMB union, showed 11 per cent of Oldham’s 620 miles of roads were found to be dirty with natural detritus and 5 per cent have unacceptable levels of man-made litter.

Oldham was ranked the 21st worst authority out of 43 in the North-West.

The litter is mainly the smoking, drinking and eating materials dropped by selfish people, but also includes dog-fouling not cleared up by irresponsible owners. Detritus is dust, soil, grit, and leaves, blossom and grass cuttings that have started to decompose.

Councillor Mark Alcock, cabinet member for citizens and neighbourhoods, said: “Keeping the borough’s streets clean and tidy is one of the council’s main priorities as we know this is important to citizens.

“We are rightly proud of our record of having the most litter-free streets in Greater Manchester, which was recognised last year by the national Keep Britain Tidy Campaign.

“I would like to pay tribute to the efforts of our Street Scene team who are delivering improved results due to the extra investment we have put into the service.”