Parents should teach children not to litter on 'post-apocalyptic' estate, says Northampton resident

Sally says she reports fly-tipping on the Ecton Brook estate daily.

A resident who voluntarily helps to clean up rubbish on Foxendale Square in Ecton Brook claims that the root of littering where she lives is down to some parents who are not teaching their children to put their rubbish in the bin.

Sally Jordan, 57, often finds herself reporting incidents of litter to Northampton Borough Council, including empty beer cans, takeaway boxes and dirty nappies that have been strewn across overgrown bushes and footpaths in the area.

But the problem is not the local authorities fault, she claims.

She said: "It’s the parent's job to teach their children not to litter - but who is going to educate the parents? I already keep Foxendale Square clean with the help of a neighbour."

Veolia UK will take over Northampton's bin and waste management in June. The new contract will cost Â£11.9 million a year - not including an extra Â£2 million in start-up costs in a scheme to buy the necessary bin lorries and equipment and lease it back to Veolia.

She added: "The litter around the area is really bad. There are lots of empty cans of alcohol and rubbish in the overgrown bushes. It is a problem and has become self-serving because the place is a mess - people have stopped caring.”

She continued: “I was born in Northampton and lived here until I was 18 - we moved back here seven years ago and I’ve seen a marked deterioration in those seven years."

Sally finds herself trying to keep on top of the litter on her estate and is calling for parents to educate their children to use the bin.

Sally, who cleans the square - sometimes more than once a week - says she reports littering and flytipping to the borough council every day.

Asked whether residents have lost pride in the area, her husband, Danny Jordan said: "Half of them never had pride in the first place.

"The whole of Northampton seems to be suffering from the same problem, the impression you get as you drive along the A45 is a town that doesn’t care.

"The fundamental problem is the residents of Northampton - you can’t blame the council for the litter - what we need is education."

Councillor Mike Hallam Cabinet member for environment said: “Final details of how the new environmental services contract will operate from June, are being discussed.

"In the meantime, street cleaning continues and plans for scheduling in some additional time in the area, are being made.

“We thank residents for reporting instances of fly-tipping and littering in the area and encourage them to continue to report any new incidents, as they occur, either on our website or via our app.”