City of York Council's new-look Streetscene service has improved the cleanliness of streets in the west of the city by five per cent since it was introduced last month.

The pilot scheme, which could eventually be extended to other areas of the city, has seen the introduction of street sweepers with barrows and a dedicated 'zone' enforcement officer.

Close monitoring of performance in street cleanliness has seen improvements across the five wards that make up the 'west zone'. This is despite high winds that has blown rubbish from bins and recycling boxes, and the additional rubbish and litter generated over the Christmas period.

Cleanliness standards were independently audited before the launch of the pilot scheme and measured again after Christmas. This showed that cleanliness overall had improved by five per cent."

Project officer, Jackie Armitage, said: "Winter is a difficult time for street cleaning because of poor weather and visibility, so it's great to see that the new working arrangements for Streetscene services are already having an impact. We hope to build on this good work over the remaining two months of the pilot."