'Day of Action' volunteers join Newark and Sherwood district council staff in an effort to tackle environmental issues and boost the economy

Volunteers joined council staff in an effort to tackle environmental issues in Newark town centre and boost the economy.

They joined the district council's waste, public protection and grounds maintenance teams on Tuesday as part of a Day of Action to clean-up the town centre after the district's worst rubbish dumping figures in 20 years.

Newark and Sherwood's litter and fly-tipping numbers in 2018-19 amounted to 2,425 tonnes, sparking a multi-agency approach to tackle environmental issues, which included litter-picking, grounds' work and removing graffiti from public areas.

"Doing a clean-up like this makes a difference in a lot of ways, places look nicer and we try and help with wild-life and bio-diversity as well," said business manager for parks and open spaces, Paul Beard.

Mr Beard who has done major clean-ups in Hawtonville, Blidworth and Yorke Drive Estate believes creating spaces people want to visit ultimately makes the district better in many ways.

He said: "This is our fourth day of action targetting an area and bringing a multi-agency approach. We have a focus on the town centre which has been successful and there is always a lot of community involvement."

One-off government funding means councils across the country will benefit from a nationwide scheme designed to make sure high-streets look their best and thrive, amid what has been described as a challenging time for high-street retailers as online spending increases.

But despite Newark and Sherwood's litter numbers being at their worst in two decades, leader of the council, David Lloyd, said he was "surprised" at the lack of rubbish on the streets on Tuesday.

And although pleased with the turn-out, Mr Lloyd said the council has a team that conquer the streets at 5am every morning, so is not always obvious how much work goes into keeping the town centre up to scratch.

He added a council policy has just been introduced which means litter-picking and graffiti clean-ups are no longer the job of business owners.

"If people let us know about these things in the town centre, we will have our employees and volunteers deal with it ­— but we just hope that people will continue to work hard in making the district a cleaner, safer and greener environment for everyone."

The Day of Action saw colourful shrubs and herbaceous perennials planted to improve surroundings and promote a clean, green and sustainable environment in time for the annual Newark In Bloom judging on Wednesday, July 10.

As well as this, litter-picking and removal of fly-posting took place in the town centre and around Pelham Street, Millgate, Newark Castle and the riverside areas and replaced with bright and colourful maps of the area.

Jill Brown, from Winthorpe, volunteered for the Day of Action on Tuesday and said a clean and tidy town is important for visitors and shoppers.

She said: "I think the council do a good job keeping on top with it but it is a full-time job and a lot of the time, the work that they do is unseen and people sometimes take it for granted.

"But these days most people are quite conscious of litter and plastics and the centre does have a good selection of bins, which means the town is normally full of pride."

Health and community relations officer, Andy Hardy, has been part of the Day of Action events from the start, adding many people come together to help including scouts, women's groups and companies like Waitrose for the greater good.

"If people were a bit more responsible we would have a cleaner, safer and greener environment which people really value," he said.

"We just raise awareness and encourage people to be responsible."

Mr Hardy added that the Day of Action group now provide litter-pickers and high-vis jackets for anyone to take part.

He said: "People can arrange to come and pick up the essentials and then dump them in a secure and controlled area once they're finished."

The district council, through its Cleaner, Safer And Greener campaign has been working hard to ensure that local communities are places everyone is proud of.