A FORMER Wellington mayor is calling for more street cleaners to be employed after he carried out a litter pick on Saturday (May 17) to prove his own council was wrong to say the town did not have a problem.

Cllr Marcus Barr took action after the town council’s environment committee responded to a resident’s concern by rejecting the idea of a community litter pick on the grounds that there was not enough rubbish to be concerned about.

He picked up litter on Hilly Head, Popes Lane, Exeter Road, and other areas of Rockwell Green, where he lives.

Eleven black bags of rubbish later and Cllr Barr considered he had proven his point.

Cllr Barr sits on the town council, where he is the only Reform UK member, and also represents Wellington and Rockwell Green on Somerset Council.

He said: “I was told by councillors on the environment committee that Wellington does not have a litter problem, even when a member of the public who lives in Rockwell Green tells the council that it has a litter problem, they still do not listen.

“I felt the member of the public had a genuine concern.

“I also felt they were treated with a little contempt from some councillors on the night.

“I see how much litter is around Rockwell Green.

“At the moment we do not have any street cleaners in the Green.

“In the past, I have been promised from the Conservatives and the Liberal Democrats that we would have street cleaners but all they have done is cut cleaning services.

“Today, Wellington only has one street cleaner and as most know Dave Burge keeps the town centre clean but when he is ill or has a day off we have nobody to keep the town clean.

“This is not good enough for a town of this size.

“I would like to see the town council employ extra street cleaners, but what chance do I have when other councillors do not think we have a problem.”

Dozens of people took to social media to praise Cllr Barr’s efforts – and to point out other areas of the town which also needed cleaning up.

Fellow town Cllr Sue Fox said on social media: “It would help if everybody took their litter home or put it in a bin.

“There is litter all over, sadly, and roundabouts and verges near fast food takeaways are littered with remnants of somebody’s inability to dispose of it properly.

“It is the same, sadly, with dog poo.

“Everybody needs to be more respectful of their neighbours and neighbourhoods, but not withstanding, good job and normally I would have pitched in, but due to a recent bereavement not up to it just yet.”

The town council was recently also asked by Cllr John Thorne to look at ways to keep streets tidier at weekends when Mr Burge was not on duty.

Cllr Thorne said bins were often overflowing at weekends with the result that litter fell onto pavements until Mr Burge started work on the Monday morning.