Shropshire scores highly in Clean Britain Awards

It’s official: Cleobury Mortimer is the cleanest town in Britain, according to judges who awarded the town gold at the recent Clean Britain Awards 2011.

The town beat off stiff competition from eight other towns which were judged against a number of criteria, including litter and flytipping, waste bin management, chewing gum and cigarette butt litter, dog fouling, signage, and street furniture cleanliness.

However, Cleobury Mortimer wasn’t the only town to be recognised for its clean streets.  Church Stretton was also awarded five stars (the highest star rating) in the same category.

Shropshire Council cleans the streets five days a week, empties most bins daily and has an out-of-hours response for emergencies. However, a team of 20 local volunteers in Church Stretton also carried out weekly sweeps to get the town spick and span for the judges’ unannounced visit last year.

Martin Taylor-Smith, Shropshire Council’s Cabinet member for transport and IT, said:

“We are very pleased to have achieved this quality recognition for street cleaning and I feel it demonstrates our continued commitment to ensuring Shropshire is a clean and attractive county for residents and visitors alike.

“I’d like to thank everyone for all their continued hard work in keeping our local towns clean and beautiful.”

Gwilym Butler, a Shropshire Councillor for Cleobury Mortimer, said:

“I am delighted at how well the parish council, and in particular how the clerk, works with the street scene and other teams from the council to keep the town’s streets clean.”

Madge Shineton, a Shropshire Councillor for Cleobury Mortimer, added:

“Cleobury Mortimer is a beautiful little town in wonderful rural setting.  Well done street scene.  And our own Cleobury true gentleman who I hope will continue to do this wonderful job.”

James Gibson, a Shropshire Councillor for Church Stretton and Craven Arms, said:

“I am delighted with this year’s results, but Church Stretton also has its team of volunteers who turn out early on Sunday mornings to maintain the town’s streets to the same high standard.  Well done to you all; team work has a great part to play.”

David Evans, a Shropshire Councillor for Church Stretton and Craven Arms, added:

“Good news for Church Stretton winning the award for clean streets; it’s a goal well earned and something for other towns to achieve.”

The Clean Britain Awards is run every two years by the Chartered Institute of Waste Management, and is supported by many other bodies.