Around 20 tonnes of waste was collected from two estates in Burnley as part of an intensive deep clean in a wider effort to tackle littering and fly-tipping.

A 28-strong team from Calico Homes, Burnley Borough Council, and the Community Payback Scheme collected 20 tonnes of waste in a day-long clean-up operations in the Griffin Estate and Barclay Hills areas following concerns raised by residents.

Calico Homes and council staff also spoke with residents to offer extra support and waste equipment, with a positive response and requests for support.

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The council’s greenspaces team maintains the land and will continue to monitor the situation.

The Government has recently introduced bigger fines for littering and fly-tipping, meaning offenders face tougher consequences with fines of up to £1,000 for fly-tipping.

Dawn Cardwell, head of neighbourhoods at Calico Homes, said: “Thank you to everyone involved in the clean-up which has resulted in a significant improvement in this neighbourhood.

“We are committed to working with residents and Burnley Borough Council to ensure that our open spaces remain clean and free from litter and rubbish so the people who live there can enjoy them.

“Fly-tipping is a crime so we encourage our residents to report this if they see it.”

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Councillor Jack Launcer, the council’s executive member for health, culture, and wellbeing, said: “Thanks to all the hard work of the clean-up team, they’ve made a massive difference to the estates.

“We will continue to work with Calico to support the residents to try and ensure they see a reduction in littering and fly-tipping, which is a blight on their community.

“There’s no excuse for it and both the council and Calico will take tough action against those responsible. We need the residents’ support in making the area they live a better place.”