Streets in West Ealing were cleared of graffiti and fly-tipped rubbish during Ealing Council's latest Environment Action Day event. 

 

Ten businesses along Uxbridge Road and in Melbourne Court had graffiti on their premises cleared for free by the council. Almost 20 tonnes of illegally dumped rubbish was removed from the streets during the blitz on envirocrime in the town.

 

The action included:

• 16.5 tonnes of dumped rubbish removed from an alley between Bedford Road and Connaught Road
• 14 new trees planted in Dean Gardens
• four fixed penalty notices and three caution letters issued to traders over correct disposal of waste
• five shrub beds and three mature trees planted in Melbourne Avenue
• graffiti cleared from West Ealing Station, 10 commercial premises, one domestic premises, and two park benches
• 49 letters issued to commercial premises warning that illegal A Boards will be removed
• around 200 cigarette butt and chewing gum pouches distributed to members of the public
• 15 front of store displays measured and where necessary stock removed to within the boundaries of the property.

The West Ealing Environment Action Day was held on January 20. It was run with the council's contractors ECT and Cardinal, the police, Waitrose and the Tasha Foundation, a support service for people with mental health issues and drug addictions.

 

One of the aims of the Environment Action Days, which have already been held in Southall and Ealing Broadway, is to show residents and traders how the council, police and other partner organisations in the Ealing are cracking down on envirocrime. Another is to educate and inform people about their responsibility to keep the area clean.

 

Keith Townsend, Ealing Council's director of customer services, said: �We wanted to demonstrate the range of powers and services we have available to tackle envirocrime, but also ensure people are aware of their own responsibilities in looking after the area they live in.

 

�We really hope the hard work carried out by the council and its partners in West Ealing restored some pride among residents in the area.�

 

The event included a clear-up of around 16.5 tonnes of dumped rubbish in an alley between homes in Connaught Road and Bedford Road .

 

Marion Paines, of Connaught Avenue , who has lived in West Ealing almost all her life, watched the rubbish being cleared away by the council's contractors, ECT.

 

She said: �I was so happy to see this work being done. This is an old Victorian alley and you do not see many of these any more, so it was horrible to see so much disgusting rubbish on it. Seeing the alley cleared up again reminds me of the way it used to be and when I used to play there when I was a little girl.�