COUNCILLORS have responded to concerns raised about the litter and bins in Poole’s Old Town.

Two Poole councillors say they have been trying to address the issue for around five years.

It comes after the events organiser from Poole Bay Rotary Club said he was “embarrassed” about the state of the historic area.

Councillor Mark Howell said: “I know from experience that officers have been stubbornly resistant to doing anything to address this problem despite Councillor Hadley and myself complaining about it for pretty much five years.

“As you can see from the photo taken in Antelope Alley this morning, the problem remains. The reality is that the council’s acquiescence in allowing bins to be stored in a public passageway has encouraged others to view it as a legitimate dumping ground.

“Businesses are required to find private places to store their bins and this should be enforced. Some businesses have issues due to their small footprint, but we have suggested to officers, places where the council could provide storage which are less harmful to the character and attractive quality of the area, something the businesses depend on for custom.

“Most notably, the rear of the Quay Visitors Car Park presents an opportunity where the council currently has located a shipping container, I think without planning permission."

He said that someone has also been looking at the potential for an underground bin at the junction of Paradise Street and the High Street.

Councillor Mark Anderson, portfolio holder for environment, cleansing and waste said that the council will be introducing a new campaign to tackle the issue in the coming weeks.

He said: “Through our Cleaner, Greener, Safer campaign we want our residents to be proud to live in this beautiful part of the country which is why we’re committed to tackling litter issues across our conurbation.

“A pilot CGS panel has been created in partnership to identify and act on key issues around the conurbation. The panel comprises of key figures from the council as well as representatives from all three town centres and Coastal BIDs. They are currently working on shaping a programme of activities to inform an investment report that will go before Cabinet at the end of this month.

“We’re proposing to undertake street audits to provide information on the issues affecting the town centres and other areas identified as requiring attention, while also taking into account public opinion to ensure wider representation of Cleaner, Greener, Safer priorities are captured.”

“We’ve also implemented our flytipping pilot, which started this week with an external enforcement agency investigating any instances of flytipping across our conurbation, providing a more robust approach to tackling this important issue.

“We want people to have a sense of pride in their place and the work the CGS panel are undertaking, alongside the flytipping pilot will help us understand how we can transform our city region into one of the best coastal places in the world in which to live, work, invest and play.”

'