£4.4m to clear Sheffield streets of litter

The statistics also revealed the authority’s total bill for street cleaning topped £4.4 million in one year.

Sheffield’s bill is among the highest of the UK’s big cities but the council forks out less per head than 14 London boroughs and places like the Isle of White, Middlesbrough and Stoke-on-Trent.

City of London Council spends £660 per resident on street cleaning, whereas Herefordshire County Council spends just nine pence.

According to census data and the council’s street cleaning bill Sheffield Council spends £8.09 per head.

Council bosses in Sheffield have taken a strong stance after naming and shaming those who litter the city’s streets.

More than 800 people appeared at Sheffield Magistrates’ Court in 2016 after failing to pay fixed penalty notices for dropping litter.

The figures revealed by councils across the country amount to around £1 billion a year to clean Britain’s streets – enough to fund 33,000 nurses.

Coun Bryan Lodge, Sheffield Council’s cabinet member for environment said: “In these times of budget cuts and austerity it is sad to see that due to the selfish behaviour of the few, we as a council pay more than £4 million to pick up litter. This is something that can definitely be avoided if we all play our small part.

“The Clean Sheffield campaign aims to encourage residents and businesses to all take pride in their community and not drop litter on the floor. You don’t need to be part of an organised group to do your part. If you see litter on the floor then don’t just walk past it, pick it up and bin it.”