DEPARTMENT FOR
ENVIRONMENT, FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS News Release (58/09) issued by
COI News Distribution Service. 17 March 2009
Minister for
Sustainable Development and Innovation, Lord Hunt, has today
called for the public and local authorities to step up the fight
against litter as the latest Local Environment Quality Survey
shows that streets around the country are still in an
unsatisfactory condition.
Lord Hunt said:
"The good news is that the state of our streets is not
getting any worse, but the small three per cent improvement is
nothing to shout about. For most people dropping litter on the
street is unthinkable. It is the minority who are letting us down.
"Litter is everyone's responsibility and we all need to
work together; both local and central government and the public,
to help improve the look of our communities and put a stop to this
unsightly problem."
Phil Barton, Keep Britain Tidy Chief Executive, said:
"Problems such as litter, graffiti and fly-tipping affect
people's perceptions of themselves and their neighbourhoods
and can also act as a magnet for more serious crimes.
"Clearly a massive amount of work remains to be done to
reduce litter on our streets. This annual report shows progress in
some areas such as a reduction in dog fouling but the reality is
that England's streets and neighbourhoods remain in an
'unsatisfactory' condition.
"We need the support of councils, businesses, communities
and individuals to help make the necessary improvements and ensure
we all live and work in areas that we are proud of."
Headline findings from the 2007-2008 survey include:
*
Smoking related litter remains by far the most prevalent item of
litter on England's streets, found on 78 per cent of all
sites surveyed;
* Confectionary packaging is again the second
most common item. This year it fell slightly from 67 per cent to
64 per cent;
* Drinks related litter has risen (alcoholic
drinks up by one per cent to 22 per cent, soft drinks litter up by
five per cent to 57 per cent);
* Fast food, which has risen
nearly every year since the survey began seven years ago, has
risen again - this time by one per cent. Fast food was present on
25 per cent of sites surveyed;
* Dog fouling has fallen for
the second successive year. It was evident on six per cent of
sites surveyed. Dog fouling has now fallen by one per cent in each
of the last two years; and
* Overall litter has fallen by
three per cent on last year.
This annual report surveys 19,000 sites across England looking at
environmental problems like litter, fly-posting and graffiti. It
aims to give an objective and independent analysis of the
cleanliness of our streets and neighbourhoods and identify key trends.
The full results of the survey can be found at http://www.encams.org
Notes to Editors
1. The Local Environment Quality Survey is commissioned by Defra
and compiled by Keep Britain Tidy.
2. Keep Britain Tidy surveyors carried out site visits between
April 2007 and March 2008 across the length and breadth of the
country. As well as looking at 19,000 locations, surveyors studied
the wider environment such as 883 bus stops and more than 11,000
landscaped areas including parks and grass verges.
3. Lord Hunt announced the survey results at the Keep Britain
Tidy conference in Brighton.
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