Cleaning up the town

A week of action to tackle issues ranging from vandalism to drugs has helped restore pride, according to residents.

A range of agencies spent this week tackling the problems identified in a survey by residents on the Retford Road estate, Boughton.

It has proved so successful that similar events could now take place elsewhere in Ollerton and Boughton.

Highlighted issues included vandalism, fly tipping and littering, drug and alcohol misuses, burglary, underage drinking and general crime.

The Mayor of Ollerton and Boughton, Mr Terry Bell, said: “It has been a very worthwhile exercise and it instils some confidence in the people on the estate to see that the councils are willing to do something about the problems.

“It has been well organised and may produce some real benefits to the estate.

“A lot of it is to do with the upgrading of the estate, which has made people take more pride in their environment.”

Mr Bell said Ollerton and Boughton Safer Neighbourhood Group would ask for information from the public that could lead to similar events being carried out in Ollerton or Boughton, or elsewhere in Bassetlaw, Newark and Sherwood.

The event, organised by Bassetlaw, Newark and Sherwood Community Safety Partnership, saw litter and graffiti cleared from the streets.

Agencies including Nottinghamshire Police, Ollerton and Boughton Town Council, Newark and Sherwood District Council, Newark and Sherwood Homes, Nottinghamshire County Council, and Nottinghamshire Fire and Rescue Service took part.

The secretary of Boughton and Ollerton Tenants’ and Residents’ Association, Mrs Carole Batey, said: “The people I have spoken to feel happy that, at last, something is being done.

“More people are giving information to the authorities about things like benefit fraud, and breaches of tenancy agreements.

“Graffiti tends to be cleaned away fairly quickly anyway, and the culprits have been tracked down, but gardens have been vastly improved, especially since the improvements were carried out on the estate.

“There is a knock-on effect and people who would not have taken care in the past are shamed into doing it. Most of the homes now look lovely.”

The event started with the district council’s waste teams sweeping the streets, led by the waste enforcement officer, Mr Ron Dawes.

Road sweepers cleaned gutters, and helped the town council’s regular litter picker on the estate, Mr Charlie Concannon, to clean the streets.

The district council’s graffiti removal team cleaned walls, although Mr Dawes said graffiti was not a major problem.

On Wednesday, a county council youth service bus was parked on the former Women’s Centre site on Stepnall Heights.

The £70,000 bus welcomed youngsters on board to play computer games, listen to music, or talk confidentially to youth workers about any issues they might have.

A senior district youth worker, Mr Rob Packer, said the bus provided a warm, safe and friendly environment for the children to gather, and he was hopeful it would return to the area in the future.

Newark and Sherwood Homes inspected tenants’ properties and checked that tenancy agreements were being adhered to.

Trading Standards delivered doorstep crime packs to residents, and leaflets about the event were put through every door on the estate.

Retained firefighters gave up their time to carry out home safety checks, which included fitting smoke alarms for free that will last for ten years.

Yesterday, a mobile telephone marking session was held in the youth centre, and unwanted white goods were collected from homes for free.

On Friday more fire safety sessions will be held in the youth centre.

The week will culminate with a free community event on the former women’s centre site on Sunday, from 11am-2.30pm.

Police horses will be in attendance and there will be a police dog demonstration.