Pupils at a Hartlepool primary school are calling on members of their community to help rid their neighbourhood of rubbish and dog dirt.
Year five and six pupils at Lynnfield Primary School have gone public with their message with signs around the town’s Victoria ward.
The signs which have been put on lamp posts and newly-revamped alley gates close to the school, remind people to bin their litter and to stop their dogs from fouling roads and pavements.
The messages are key to putting the pride back into the community and combatting anti-social behaviour and neighbourhood crime.
The pupils produced artwork for the signs in a competition run by the Safer Streets 5 initiative prior to Christmas. The winners each received a gift voucher and a certificate.
Cleveland Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) Matt Storey visited the school. He met the pupils and see how their artwork has now been turned into the signs.
Pride in the Community
He said: “It’s important that children can take pride in their community at the earliest opportunity. This initiative is all about tapping into young people’s natural enthusiasm for protecting their local environment.
“It’s only with that sense of pride and ownership that communities become stronger, more united and more confident. The winners are so talented and can be really proud of their work.”
Councillor Karen Oliver is Chair of Hartlepool Borough Council’s Neighbourhood Services Committee and a Victoria Ward councillor.
She said: “It is important that we all pull together to tackle issues such as litter and dog fouling which can have a seriously corrosive effect on neighbourhoods and adversely affect residents’ quality of life.
“The children and staff at Lynnfield Primary School are setting a wonderful example to the rest of us. I am so proud of how they are taking a lead on these very important issues.
“The message is clear – bag it, bin it! Please do not litter our streets.”
The Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner (OPCC) for Cleveland received £335,408 from the Home Office through the Safer Streets 5 initiative to fund a series of measures in Hartlepool’s Victoria ward.
The programme is run by the OPCC in partnership with Hartlepool Borough Council, Cleveland Police and Thirteen Housing.
Cleaning up
Visible signs of crime and anti-social behaviour such as litter, fly tipping, vandalism and criminal damage are believed to encourage further – and sometimes more serious – instances of disorder.
As a result, improving the environment by organising clean-ups, litter picks and enforcement action has been a key feature of Safer Streets 5 in Hartlepool over the past few months.
Every year, Hartlepool Council collects about 900 tonnes of waste and litter, which hasn’t been properly disposed of in a bin. That’s in addition to more than 500 tonnes of rubbish from over 750 litter bins across the borough.
That’s in addition to the community efforts of Hartlepool Big Town Tidy Up volunteers. Last year, they collected over 10,000 bags of litter.