Both police and city councillors joined forces this week to highlight litter hotspots, as officers prepare for a clean sweep through the city centre on April 6.

Following on from the distribution of leaflets entitled 'Tidy City? Safe City?' at the weekend, a number of Environmental Visual Audits (EVA) were undertaken in the area this week.

PC Elfyn Hughes led the expedition around Hirael in the morning, and in the afternoon was joined by chief constable Richard Brunstrom in his assessment of Deiniol.

He said: "We had a good walk around the wards and certain parts have been identified for attention; one of the big problems is the general state of the city centre, which is strewn with litter and fly tipping.

"We will be looking to improve the area and provisionally look to clean it up on April 6."

Councillor Jean Forsyth joined officers on the trip around Hirael; she added: "They seemed very keen to get things done and have taken the initiative.

"Once the clean up is done, everybody needs to do their bit to keep on top of the situation."
Other EVAs took place around the city, including an investigation of
Maes Tryfan and the Glyder ward.

Joining the police on the audit in Maes Tryfan, Cllr Doug Madge took a number of photographs to highlight the need for a major clean up.

He said: "It should be Gwynedd Council doing this, not the police - this is what we pay our rates for.

"A duty also lies with people who need to show respect for their own area, and not just blame others for the mess."

Meanwhile, Gwynedd Council are considering dumping their free collections of bulky waste.

Last year more than 10,000 people took advantage of the service, but the authority are now looking at charging domestic households £15 for taking away five items of bulky waste.

It is believed that the move, if accepted, would generate an annual income of between £90,000 to £150,000.
Gwynedd Council, in partnership with the Environment Agency, has established procedures to tackle fly-tipping across the county.

The council is also launching a new Street Enforcement service, which will be responsible for ensuring that our streets are kept clean and tidy.

"We also assist the Environment Agency , Police and other organisation with special clean up days, and we will be taking part in a special clean-up day arranged for the Bangor area on April 6; it is also important to note that work undertaken on these days tackle fly tipping and general clear up of land that falls outside the council's responsibility."