Tidy Our Town: Formerly disgusted resident praises ‘some improvements’ to her hotspot area
A resident of more than four decades, who previously shared her disgust at the lack of respect for her area, has praised some improvements during recent months.
It was back in February when Helene Kluger-Langer first spoke to the Chronicle & Echo as part of the Tidy Our Town campaign, and she now believes things are starting to look up seven months on.
Helene has lived in Vernon Walk for more than 40 years and shared the “intolerable and unacceptable” state of her area – which discouraged her from inviting loved ones to her home.
She previously admitted she is ashamed of where she lives, and the issue of littering and fly tipping has seen a number of her neighbours move away over the years. She pinpointed Artizan Road as one of the hotspots.
However, now, Helene told this newspaper: “I think there have been some improvements and Wellingborough Road is much cleaner, but we still have different areas where people dump their rubbish. There’s a lot of fly tips and they choose a different area each time.”
Things have improved to the point where Helene is happy to welcome a friend from Vienna. Her friend always reassured her that the state of the environment did not bother her, but Helene was adamant that she did not want the visit to go ahead previously.
Despite the optimism, Helene continued: “Rubbish bags are still left out too early and get opened by animals. The litter gets blown all over the place.
“The waste collectors come to remove the bags and if a bag is open and the contents are poured out, it’s left. The Northants Litter Wombles are very good. They collect what they can and report fly tips.
“The estate is as bad as it has ever been with fly tipping, clothes and general litter strewn all over, but Wellingborough Road is still much improved.”
Having read about the rollout of clear recycling bags in the Chronicle & Echo, Helene believes it is an “excellent idea” for all areas with open-top boxes moving forward.
“More bins help but the ones near us are overflowing,” said Helene. “I have seen a yellow label on one but I don’t know what’s going to happen. I want to see a regular inspection of the area and if there are fly tips, they should be reported and removed.”
If you would like to get involved in the Tidy Our Town campaign, established in collaboration with the Northants Litter Wombles, email [email protected].