Longfield Road gets the Big Clean treatment

Members of the Spotland Tenants and Residents Association, Marcus Whipp and Brian True, help to shovel up some rubbish.

Longfield Road in Spotland is the latest site to receive the Big Clean treatment from Rochdale Council after members of the Spotland Tenants and Residents Association nominated the area for a clean up as part of the tidy up campaign.

The area of land is one of 42 sites across the borough to be selected for a tidy up as part of the Big Clean.

A few months ago, the council put an extra £100,000 towards cleaning up the borough and all of the ideas for what was done with that money came from members of the public; including Rochdale Online readers.

Work on the area of spare land along Longfield Road has involved a mass clean up operation over a number of days.

Marcus Whipp of the Spotland Tenants and Residents Association, said: “We saw the Big Clean on the council’s website so decided to take a look. We nominated Longfield Road because of its litter problems so we’re really pleased it’s being sorted out.”

In an effort to ensure the area remains clean and tidy, council enforcement officers will fully investigate instances of fly tipping in the area and take action as necessary.

Litter wardens patrol the borough and have the power to issue on the spot notices of £75.

Councilor Greg Couzens, who lives in the area and works closely with the Spotland Tenants and Residents Association, added: “Thanks to the Big Clean this area is the cleanest I’ve seen it in 10 years. I’ve had a lot of positive comments from local residents, so it’s making a real difference.

“Rubbish breeds rubbish, so now we’ve got rid of it we hope it will make people think twice about fly tipping and covering the area in graffiti. Rochdale has a household waste disposal site on Chichester Street that is open seven days a week, so there’s absolutely no excuse for dumping rubbish anywhere.”

Rochdale Council’s three household waste disposal sites are located on Chichester Street in Rochdale, Peel Lane in Heywood, and Springvale in Middleton. They are free to use by the public and are open seven days a week from 8am to 8pm (March to October).

If you want to report a grot spot in the borough, call the Big Clean hotline on 0845 226 1800 or email environmental.management@rochdale.gov.uk.

To find out more about the Big Clean visit www.rochdale.gov.uk/bigclean