Week after week, household rubbish is strewn across the pavement outside Sea View Terrace at the corner of East Street and Market Street. Food waste covers the ground and paper and plastic wrappings are blown by the wind down the street. It is not a pretty sight, certainly not for tourist visitors to the town.
Most of the residents in the area are responsible citizens. They put out proper dustbins or black hessian sacks to protect their rubbish. Don’t blame the seagulls – they are hungry searching for food. Unfortunately there appears to be one source where the occupant is either unaware of our seagull population, or is not so careful of the public interest. Might this be a B&B tenant who heads off home on a Sunday night and leaves the unprotected bags to their fate? Has a landlord failed to provide proper instruction?
Rother District Council has been made aware of the problem and their street cleaner is generally promptly on the scene. This morning he was there scooping it up within 15 minutes of the refuse vehicle’s collection. This should not have to happen though, so what else can be done? Issue free hessian sacks? Pass a by-law fining misconduct as for littering?
Rother District Council has initiated a litter campaign with enforcement powers https://www.rother.gov.uk/news/council-calls-for-help-as-enforcement-begins/ but relies upon the general public in reporting environmental offences on their website https://www.rother.gov.uk/reportit
How effective this is remains to be seen, but meanwhile we must be grateful for our valiant street cleaner who does such an excellent job.
