Sponsored by
Offenders enlisted to clean up the subways ahead of Royal wedding
Convicted offenders are to be drafted in to help make Prince William and Kate Middleton’s wedding day a sparkling event.
Royal aides and civil servants have been busy behind the scenes making preparations for the big day on April 29.
But when it comes to making the grime-covered subway tunnels around London’s Hyde Park Corner Tube station clean, the offenders were picked as perfect for the job.
The offenders, all convicted of minor offences, will begin scouring the walkways and station entrances with detergent and heavy wire brushes later this month as part of the Community Payback Scheme – where offenders carry out local demanding work as a punishment.
Ravi Kumar, the Westminster warden for Knightsbridge and Belgravia, negotiated the free labour after meetings with representatives from Westminster Council’s Community Payback Scheme and London Underground.
It is expected that the subways around the station will be used by thousands of visitors heading towards the royal wedding route and nearby Buckingham Palace.
Mr Kumar said: “It was becoming a real headache as we didn’t want people seeing the state of the subway when they arrived in London.
“Using the scheme seemed perfect as it is a great example of people paying back their community and contributing something beneficial following their conviction.
“The tunnels do get cleaned every night but they were in need of some real elbow grease. I went down myself with a bit of wire sponge and had a scrub and it really made a difference so I thought doing it manually would be our best option.”
Email to a friend
Print this page- Leeds lose Ward to Palace: Is there anyone they can afford now?
- Sheffield Wednesday leaving it late to hijack Leeds United over Ward
- As Snodgrass dithers over Leeds, Warnock throws a lifeline
- Ball is in Leeds United’s court over contract - Snodgrass
- Police turning blind eye to Asian voter fraud, says MP
Looking for...
Featured advertisers
Jobs
Search for a job
Motors
Search for a car
Property
Search for a house
Weather for Yorkshire
Saturday 26 May 2012
Today
Sunny
Temperature: 9 C to 23 C
Wind Speed: 17 mph
Wind direction: East
Tomorrow
Sunny
Temperature: 9 C to 23 C
Wind Speed: 15 mph
Wind direction: East
Your view
Please sign in to be able to comment on this story.