«Breaking News» Council BANS volunteer litter pickers from cleaning up without safety check

Volunteer litter pickers wanting to clean up their community were denied 'grabber sticks' and told to carry out health and safety assessments by the local council.

Grandmother Annette Goold and friends Emma Harris and Donna Britton have been carrying out litter picks in Weston-super-Mare, Somerset, for the past two years. 

The group became fed up after seeing the increasing amount of rubbish in the area.

Emma Harris (left) and Annette Goold picking up rubbish using sticks they bought themselves

Grandmother Annette Goold (pictured) and friends Emma Harris and Donna Britton have been carrying out litter picks in Weston-super-Mare, Somerset, for the past two years

Ms Goold, 52, raised concerns about the mess at a council meeting, where she was told the authority would loan her equipment such as litter pickers to help their clean up attempts.

But she was told the equipment would no longer be available on the basis of health and safety.

The council also want the group to carry out a health and safety assessment if collecting rubbish on land the local authority owns.  

Ms Goold said: 'A few of us have been doing informal litter picking on our estate and around the area for a while now.

'After speaking at the council, we were promised that we would be loaned some equipment to help with the task.

'We were then told that this would no longer be available - on health and safety grounds. 

'It seems crazy for the council to refuse to lend us its equipment on health and safety grounds. 

'Our hedges are full of it as is our open spaces including the beach and so much is being washed into the ocean.

'It is everywhere and the council doesn't seem to be tackling it, so that's why we stepped in.'

The estates in Weston-super-Mare have become hot spots for litter

North Somerset Council said the decision was not a case of 'health and safety gone mad.' 

The council said anyone carrying out litter picks on its land needed to carry out a health and safety assessment first. 

North Somerset Council spokesman Nick Yates said: 'We want to support these community-minded people who want to do something to make their local area better.

'If they are doing things on our land we need to know so we can provide equipment and make arrangements to take away the rubbish they collect.

'We do have a duty of care and need to make sure people do not put themselves in situations where they could be in danger - when working near roads or water courses for example.

'This is certainly not a case of health and safety gone mad but a sensible course of action to make sure people stay safe.

'At the moment we are working to expand the amount of equipment which we can loan out.' 

The group decided to pick up the litter to make their local community look nicer

Link hienalouca.com

https://hienalouca.com/2019/02/27/council-bans-volunteer-litter-pickers-from-cleaning-up-without-safety-check/
Main photo article Volunteer litter pickers wanting to clean up their community were denied ‘grabber sticks’ and told to carry out health and safety assessments by the local council.
Grandmother Annette Goold and friends Emma Harris and Donna Britton have been carrying out litter picks in...

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