Great Harwood road sweeper offers to tidy up grot spot without charge (From Blackburn Citizen)

Great Harwood road sweeper offers to tidy up grot spot without charge

1:46pm Tuesday 3rd February 2009 in Hyndburn By Ben Briggs

A GREAT Harwood grime-buster is offering to clean up East Lancashire grot spots free of charge after buying his own road sweeper.

Steve Watkins said he had become so fed-up of untidy streets that he was willing to take out his road sweeper and get rid of the rubbish.

Mr Watkins runs roller shutter door firm Mendore, in Alan Ramsbotton Way, Great Harwood, and originally bought the sweeper because of a gap in the market for cleaning up industrial sites.

But he said he was so appalled by the state of many streets that he wants to do something about it.

He said: “I don’t like clutter and untidiness but there are so many places that are so scruffy.

“If readers of the Lancashire Telegraph want to take some photos of untidy areas I could take a look and see what I could do about it.

“Mess on streets or in back alleys is something that really bugs me, and now I can do something about it I want to help people out.”

Mr Watkins, who is originally from Rossendale, splashed out on the sweeper after deciding industrial and retail parks had pockets of filth that didn’t get cleaned.

Now hopes to drum up business with other firms.

He added: “I spend a lot of my life going into businesses and while they tend to spend a lot on certain types of cleaning, there are areas, such as car parks, that don’t get touched.

“Maybe I can offer something different and clean these up.

"As well as doing that, however, I’m willing at the start to help people get areas of their town cleaned up.”

• Is there a grot spot you want cleaning up? Let us know by adding your comments below or send a photo to us here.