Lack Of Respect For Local Environment!

[Colin James]

A total lack of respect for the local environment! This is Widemarsh Brook taken on Saturday and it was highlighted by Dave Throup (Environment Agency Manager for Herefordshire and Worcestershire)on Twitter today.

 

[dippyhippy]

Dreadful.

 

The brook which runs from Yazoo Road, down the Ash Path to Bulmers, is also regularly in such a state, that water cannot flow. It is completely stagnant.

[twowheelsgood]

Yazoo - 80's popsters! Yazor - stagnant and undervalued brook! Joking aside, this is awful - who is the ward councillor - they should be all over this and telling Balfour Beatty to do what they're paid to do. Its also increasing the flood load on that area. Litter generally is getting markedly worse everywhere - the verges when I'm out cycling just beggar belief in places. Its often the same person lobbing the same brand can out of the window in the same place everyday, becauseI'll often see a large pile of (say) red bull cans within a very short stretch of road.

[Colin James]

I took this photograph only yesterday on one of the new grey wheelie bins in the Newton Brook but the mess further along was worse.

 

[dippyhippy]

Yazoo!

 

Can't believe I didn't spot that error!

 

A couple of years ago, much of the lower part of this was dredged and cleared.... making a huge improvement.

 

Then came the storms during the early part of 2014, and many trees were blown over. These took an absolute age to clear. The branches blocking the stream up once again.

 

I have just walked the dog up there, and have to say, it does look better. Some work has obviously taken place again, the water is just about flowing.

[dippyhippy]

The litter shown in Colins pictures, is purely down to very lazy, and selfish people.

 

It is a complete lack of disregard for the environment in which we live. Sadly, this seems to be thought of as acceptable by a growing number of folks.

[Ubique]

Always believed that if litter and graffiti are not cleared up regularly it attracts more litter and graffiti . Hence this mess left by irresponsible residents of this City.

[Colin James]

Always believed that if litter and graffiti are not cleared up regularly it attracts more litter and graffiti . Hence this mess left by irresponsible residents of this City.

 

I agree but surely this is part of BB contract? This mess has clearly been here for months and months this is not something that has happened o the past few weeks I know! This is also Cllr Len Tawn our gracious Mayor's ward.

 

Len believes that you can achieve anything through hard work and dedication, although it often takes longer than you want. Honesty and reliability are important, as is listening with an open mind. A man of few words, he prefers to let his actions speak for him. He believes his business experience is an asset he brings to the council. Passionate about the city, Len is determined to promote Hereford and all its assets, especially its marvelous people

 

[Ubique]

Colin , you had entered an area I know little about . ( BBs Contract - if the grass cutting is anything to go by you can drive a coach and four through it ! )

 

I presume that BB have the responsibility to clear up this mess but do they have to walk the area to see what needs doing ? Surely the people that use this area also have a responsibility to report what they see rather than do nothing , if they have trouble getting in contact with BB they should have contacted their Cllr .

[dippyhippy]

I also think that parents need to start hammering home the importance of not littering to their children, at a very young age. I knew at a very young age, that rubbish went in a bin. If a bin wasn't to be found, then it was taken home, not just discarded.

 

We seem to have a generation now of folks who just don't see dropping rubbish, spitting out gum etc. as an issue. It is NOT acceptable. There is a cost associated for clearing up this mess, which we all as tax payers, are footing the bill for.

 

Great to see that Dave Throup himself has now signed up as a Hereford Voice member. His news reports whenever there are floods, have made him a bit of a legend!

 

Welcome, Dave! I look forward to your contributions

[Chris Adcocks]

Colin the other side of Belmont Road is a lot worse than the Newton Brook problem. I highlighted the problem about 2 years ago and Amey's  parting shot before Balfour Beatty took over was to cut back the mess and basically leave it in the brook. To my knowledge BB have not been back since. If anyone wants to see a mess take a walk along this stretch from Belmont Rd to Waterfield Rd mini roundabout.

[Glenda Powell]

Colin & Chris, I have reported the Newton Brook areas from Newton Farm to Belmont this afternoon to BB.

[Colin James]

Colin the other side of Belmont Road is a lot worse than the Newton Brook problem. I highlighted the problem about 2 years ago and Amey's  parting shot before Balfour Beatty took over was to cut back the mess and basically leave it in the brook. To my knowledge BB have not been back since. If anyone wants to see a mess take a walk along this stretch from Belmont Rd to Waterfield Rd mini roundabout.

 

Hi Chris,

 

Yes I have just searched and found your original topic here, still no better there then mate?

[Maggie May]

The littering is bad in the City but also all along our country lanes. My family do a regular litter pick and as has been said, it is usually one type of can or fast food packaging, so is most probably the same person week after week.We often find fresh rubbish the same brand just after we do our litter pick which is really annoying. However, as we live in the countryside no one will ever get stopped for this fly tipping. The worst though is people who pick up their dog poo in a plastic bag and then hang it on the hedgerow!! Can anyone explain the purpose of this? Usually we collect an entire black plastic bag of rubbish and this can be even when it doesn't look like there is a huge amount of litter. Amazing how it all adds up.

 

I think too many people no longer value our lovely City and Countryside, which is really sad as we are very lucky to live in an area with some great places to go to and it can be an inexpensive day out if you walk or cycle and take a pack lunch (and bring your rubbish home with you!).

[megilleland]

I am afraid Balfour Beatty and our Councillors are not interested in the state of the our City and County. One only has to look at our surroundings to realise nothing is being done by the authorities to bring back a sense of pride in our environment. Everywhere you go in the city seems to be a rubbish tip, all the paths are litter strewn and the waste bins overflowing. The county road verges are trailed with empty food packages and drink tins and  together with fly tipping and blocked drains a picture of neglect prevails in this tourist destination. This problem has not just come about today but has preoccupied the Hereford Voice forum for many years. 

 

The trouble is all the authorities blame one another and pass the buck. There is no policy to clean up our surroundings. The Council and Balfour Beatty do not want to recycle the rubbish and by not picking it up, save themselves the landfill tax and more goes into their profits. They are waiting for the grass to grow again in the Spring and hide it for another year.

 

We are also going to be paying a lot of money for an incinerator, the initial capital cost for the project is reported to be more than £160 million, but opponents claim ongoing maintenance will at least double this over the 25 years while the cost using PFI funding could triple. How many road and street sweepers could we employ locally with this sort of money.

 

Here are links highlighting past issues, many of which are still ongoing today.

 

The Town Centre is Disgusting

 

The High Town Bomb Site

 

That bomb-site in High Town!

 

I told you it would get worse!

 

Petition: Reverse Decision To Reduce Grass Cutting

 

Litter, flytipping, graffiti and other eyesores

 

Litter, litter everywhere!

 

Brownfield sites

 

Lack of grass cutting around the city and county!

 

Overgrown Mess!

 

Who is responsible for tree cutting?

 

Nothing has been done!

 

Waste Incinerator Debate

 

If the council isn't ferreting away our council tax, they are certainly burning our hard earned cash. The council pleading they need millions for this and for that, but do nothing to make the average citizen's life more pleasant - no grass cutting, no bus services, no sport, no heritage or culture, nothing for the young. They couldn't care less - it's not about the service, it's about getting the contracts signed for their private friends and passing the decision making for the future over to the unelected Marches Local Enterprise Partnership.

 

The time has come not to sweep this issue under the carpet, but to tell us how they are going to tidy up Hereford and the county. If they can't let the electorate put them in the bin!

[twowheelsgood]

megilleland - absolutely spot on and profoundly depressing post. When you start to pull together all the posts you begin to realise the size of the problem and that no amount of complaining gets anything done. Personally I'm sick to death of having to look at dirt and litter and graffiti anywhere I go in this city or county and the verges outside the city are shocking. Wherever profit is a motive before service, we the rate payers and residents will get shafted and we are being royally done so under BB.

[Ubique]

There is a pothole on a lane running past our home - this pothole was "filled in " by Amey about a month before BB took over the contract .

Of course the patchwork did not last and the pothole reappeared about 6 months ago . Three days ago a BB vehicle complete with man wearing hard hat stopped at the pothole and the man sprayed a white substance around this pothole , one metre wide by two metres long , I presume to assist the gang who will eventually attend to repair it .

Walked down the lane early this morning and noted that all the white spray surrounding this pothole had disappeared - just wondering if the man who sprayed around the pothole is a football referee and used the vanishing spray by mistake . Of course my worry now us that the road Gang will drive passed this pothole now that the markings have disappeared .

[Colin James]

Colin & Chris, I have reported the Newton Brook areas from Newton Farm to Belmont this afternoon to BB.

 

Thank you.

[Glenda Powell]

I have heard back from Balfour Beatty on Friday, they are going up to clear both parts of the Newton Brook, I have also reported black bags and a mattress by the steps leading to GWW. I have been notified that trees in Glastonbury close have been cut back.

[twowheelsgood]

There is a pothole on a lane running past our home - this pothole was "filled in " by Amey about a month before BB took over the contract .

Of course the patchwork did not last and the pothole reappeared about 6 months ago . Three days ago a BB vehicle complete with man wearing hard hat stopped at the pothole and the man sprayed a white substance around this pothole , one metre wide by two metres long , I presume to assist the gang who will eventually attend to repair it .

Walked down the lane early this morning and noted that all the white spray surrounding this pothole had disappeared - just wondering if the man who sprayed around the pothole is a football referee and used the vanishing spray by mistake . Of course my worry now us that the road Gang will drive passed this pothole now that the markings have disappeared .

 

Having seen the process first hand at a pothole near me recently - white paint is to indicate a 'temporary' repair is needed - it is photographed and logged via a tablet by the BB man, so it will be logged on the system. Yellow paint indicates a permanent repair is needed. That said, I have seen many, many 'white holes' where the paint has disappeared whilst out on my bike and the hole has not been even temporarily filled months later (and of course has grown exponentially during that time). This was even worse under Amey, who only used white paint, and who I am sure claimed for work that was never done - paint it, claim it, forget it.

[megilleland]

I have heard back from Balfour Beatty on Friday, they are going up to clear both parts of the Newton Brook, I have also reported black bags and a mattress by the steps leading to GWW. I have been notified that trees in Glastonbury close have been cut back.

 

Hello Glenda. What about the rest of the city and highway verges. Are Balfour Beatty going to sort this out before the grass hides it all again? There is no need to be specific about clean up areas, no matter where you go it is looking really bad. They came up with a minimum grass cutting schedule last year which wasn't good enough - do they have a litter pick up schedule?

[dippyhippy]

Picking up on a point that Two Wheels made earlier....

 

Driving across to Leominster last week, the verges along practically the whole route were a disgrace. Particularly bad were a stretch just beyond The Starting Gate roundabout, and the Leominster bypass.

 

I can't recall ever seeing it as bad as it is now.

[Glenda Powell]

Megilleland, with respect I have enough to do with the area (Newton Farm, Hunderton & Belmont) I represent, the other councillors are responsible for their areas, that said at the weekend one of my Independent colleagues were in the golden valley area all the roads and verges are in pristine condition maybe something to do with the fact that area is represented by the deputy leader of the council and a cabinet member?. There is a meeting next Tuesday for councillors with BB to discuss their public realm contract for 2015. I have my list of works to be carried out  that I will be presenting to them at the meeting. Will post the results of the meeting later in the week.

[flamboyant]

The Council are trying to encourage Communities to do it themselves! Expect things to get a lot worse!

 

 

https://www.herefordshire.gov.uk/environmental-protection/street-care-and-cleaning/refuse-litter-enforcement/community-litter-picks-and-litter-picking-packs

[flamboyant]

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/politics/councils-rely-on-local-street-champions-to-pick-up-litter-prune-hedges-and-grit-minor-roads-as-funds-run-out-9985738.html

[dippyhippy]

I live in Whitecross, and locally I do believe that IOC are the way forward, however my own local IOC councillor is really not up to the job.

 

I received a newsletter from the St Nicholas Community Association last week, which was basically just a vehicle for trumpeting the "achievements " of Sharon Michaels. Top of the list, was the litter pick and painting of the subway. Only this wasn't organised by her. It was organised and run by Time For Change, who posted on this very forum about it.

 

I really do not like this jumping on the band wagon , of good deeds. Gaining glory of the back of someone else hard work. From reading the rest of the newsletter, it would seem that over the past four years, she has undertaken a ward walk, and spoken to some residents about parking related issues. Oh, and just before the elections, admits that the Saturday Surgeries may not have been held in the best location...... just the four years to realise that then?

 

My advice to Ms Michaels would be, get yourself OUT into the local community, make your presence felt!

 

The newsletter seems to imply that she will be standing again as ward councillor.......I will have to think very carefully whether this anonymous figure would get my vote again.

[flamboyant]

Anyone know what became of the lengthsmen identified in the article below? By all accounts they've been in place since 2005.

 

http://www.halchereford.gov.uk/uploads/files/lengthsman_scheme.pdf

 

Needs looking into..

[Ubique]

Having read all these posts I am very disheartened - perhaps it's old age - but where are we going - somebody , and I mean the Council and the elected Cllrs have male chicken uped ! over the years .

We are now suffering .

I , personally just want to get on with MINE AND MRS UBIQUEs life , so it's now up to the Cllrs , who in my opinion are coasy on their patch but do not give a rats behind about anything that is happening elsewhere . ( the Conservatives wil still be in power after the May Election because they choose to ensure that their voters are kept sweet , only one of them reside in the City the others in the countryside .)

 

It's a rant and I know that others can put it better but that is my feelings from my heart.

[Glenda Powell]

Ubique, It isn't that I don't care about anywhere else, but in my defence I have one of the biggest wards in the city, and as I said previously the other councillors should be looking after their own areas whether in the city or countryside, if they did try and keep on top of issues we would not be in the mess we are in.

[twowheelsgood]

Wards are being shuffled around for the elections - we will lose two councillors but have more wards in the City - each ward will have only one councillor, so there will be no hiding for a lot of them who are happy to do very little at the moment because there are one or two other councillors they can blame/push the work onto/hide behind etc.