Ashfield District Council has carried out a large-scale day of action in the New Cross area of Sutton, organised by local ward councillor Samantha Deakin.

Leader of the council Coun Jason Zadrozny joined Coun Deakin and officers from across the organisation as work began (pictured above).

Officers from Environmental Services, Community Safety and Environmental Protection joined together to clean-up the area and meet residents and businesses.

Environment teams cleaned up roads and pathways in the New Cross area, focusing on weed killing, litter picking and dog fouling.

Road sweepers were sent along all roads with excessive dirt and rubbish on verges and gutters.

A clean-up operation on the service road to the rear of Outram Street has also been carried out. This involved cutting back overgrown vegetation and clearing verges and road surfaces of dirt and mud.

Community safety and environmental protection officers led inspections and engaged with residents to identify potential ongoing problems in the area. These include waste on land, fly-tipping hotspots, anti-social behaviour and wider neighbourhood issues.

Coun Deakin, councillor for Sutton Central and New Cross, said: “This is the first part of work to gain a better understanding of the area’s needs.

“We know that parts of New Cross have long-standing problems, so this is just the start of work to strengthen communities and make residents feel pride within their local area.”

A new dedicated Environmental Enforcement team will begin work to tackle littering and dog fouling across the district. The council will be working with specialist private sector enforcement provider WISE on a 12-month pilot scheme that will see fixed penalty notices issued to those caught committing environmental crime in our communities.

Coun Deakin added: “Across the district we are taking huge steps to crack down on those who choose to commit environmental crime.

“Whether it’s dog fouling, littering or large-scale fly-tips, we have the enforcement tools in place to make our district a cleaner and safer place for all.”