Leith targeted for street cleaning improvements

While the vast majority of Edinburgh exceeds national targets for cleanliness and continues to improve, more work is needed in Leith and the city centre.

Four more staff per shift and mechanical sweepers have been assigned to the area, and additional workers were also in place for the festivals period. In the city centre, the number of environmental wardens was nearly doubled, from 7 to 13, during August to help deal with waste and littering.

A survey of the capital's streets in June, carried out independently by Keep Scotland Beautiful, shows that Edinburgh achieved a score of 72, up one from the same survey in March. Although the overall percentage of clean streets decreased by 1 point to 95%, the proportion at the highest A grade went up 4 points to 14%.

Transport convener Councillor Lesley Hinds said: "While there is no room for complacency, these figures are encouraging. Naturally, we would like every part of the city to do well, but there are particular problems in some areas. Obviously, the festival period puts a great deal of strain on our resources, but there are also problems with cigarette littering outside pubs and people fly-tipping at communal bins. We will continue our work to keep the streets clean but we also call on everyone in Edinburgh to be responsible and play their part in maintaining our beautiful city."

The details are contained in a report to the Transport, Infrastructure and Environment committee.