District hit by fly tipping has 700 tonnes of waste removed

Residents have raised concerns that the Hyde Park and Headingley areas of the city are blighted by litter and waste as students move in and out of properties in the area over the summer months.

Earlier this year, the Hyde Park Board was launched to tackle environmental issues in Hyde Park, including student waste, litter and graffiti.

The summer period has resulted in accumulations of household waste from departing students causing a major eyesore.

A number of graffiti and littering hotspots have already been identified in Hyde Park and a number of clean-up operations have already taken place.

This year’s summer clean-up programme, which has been organised by the Hyde Park Board, deployed additional refuse and bulky waste collections which resulted in more than 700 tonnes of waste being removed from the area.

The council’s executive board member with responsibility for neighbourhoods and housing, Coun Peter Gruen, said: “We have listened to the public and agree that more needs to be done to improve the quality of the environment in the Hyde Park area.

“As a partnership we have agreed to target our resources in order to tackle problems with litter and fly tipping and will take a zero tolerance approach to graffiti. We have already starting to show this with a number of clean-up operations already run throughout the area.

“But we need the help of the residents to make a real difference, by disposing of their waste properly and reporting problems when they see them.”

The Community and Housing Policy Officer at the University of Leeds, Amanda Jackson, said: “The university is delighted to be a key partner in the Hyde Park Board to ensure that the area is a safe, clean and welcoming place for our students to live whilst studying in Leeds. Like many residents our students are concerned by the environmental problems which have been an issue in this highly populated area of the city for a number of years.”

In addition to the actions already taken, planning for the autumn is also under way to ensure the area is cleaned before students return.