Keep Bowerhill tidy!

A BOWERHILL resident is calling for a zero tolerance approach to the issue of litter on the estate.

Local man David Gazzard claims that young people are failing to take their litter home with them, leaving their rubbish and drug paraphernalia behind in areas like the Hornchurch playing field.

Frustrated by the amount of litter in the area, David and his wife Angie recently organised their own litter pick, collecting two large bags of rubbish from the playing field. David said, “I think part of the problem is that we do not have enough bins up here and the ones we do have are not emptied enough – probably a case of the local council not having enough money to provide this service.

“When walking the dog we bumped into a group of people who were already discussing the filthy state of the estate and pointed out that there was drug utensils on the floor in the under 7s play area – where the teenagers congregate when it’s dark to play music.”

To help tackle the problem, David is calling for the community to take action. “We as a local community need to educate our youngsters about the litter and the need to take it home, rather than throw it all over the floor,” he said. “Coincidentally if you follow the footpath from the crossing to Melksham Oak and through the estate you will find litter strewn everywhere.

“The Bowerhill Residents Action Group (BRAG) organise litter picks annually, but clearly as a community we need to come together and do this at least monthly. We should also be adopting a zero tolerance approach like Bristol and fining the culprits.”