MEET the Wombles of Felixstowe who have shamed Suffolk Coastal into cleaning their street!Residents of Victoria Street were so angry at the state of their road - and the lack of any action from the council - that they dug out their own brooms and mops to tidy up.

MEET the Wombles of Felixstowe who have shamed Suffolk Coastal into cleaning their street!

Residents of Victoria Street were so angry at the state of their road - and the lack of any action from the council - that they dug out their own brooms and mops to tidy up.

“I have called the council several times but they never clean this street - the last time I rang was a week ago and the rubbish is still there with more added,” said resident Pauline Howlett-Reeve.

“I have found sanitary towels, incontinence pads and nappies, catalogues, food wrappers, all sorts. There are cigarette butts which have been here weeks.

“It is a terrible mess. We are left with no option but to sweep our street clean ourselves.”

Resident Jean Kerleshi said: “It just looks like a slum area. It gets into the gardens, too - I filled half a black sack last week with cans and bottles, an old shirt. It's unbelievable what you find.

“I am worried about rats and mice with all this rubbish about.”

Because Victoria Street is immediately behind town centre shops and a cut-through from the seafront, residents say it is well-used.

A Suffolk Coastal spokeswoman said Victoria Street had been inspected and would be swept this week.

But it is hard to tell whether this has happened - a lot of the larger items of rubbish have gone, but yesterday there were still others present and old cigarette ends in the gutters.

“We are investigating what the cause of the problem was and will take whatever action we can to prevent a repeat,” she said.

“The improved recycling service will be rolled out in Felixstowe in a month's time, and experience has shown that one of the positive aspects of using wheelie bins is that less litter is left lying around both before and after collections.”

Keeping the streets clean

Felixstowe's main street Hamilton Road is swept daily - either by the Scarab mechanical street cleaner or by hand.

Other roads around the resort are swept mechanically on a rota and priority basis, with outlying estates done far less than busier areas such as the seafront.

Suffolk Coastal spends more than �600,000 a year on cleaning up litter from the district's streets, parks, beaches and roadsides.

People dropping litter - including throwing cigarette ends or fast food containers from a car - could receive an immediate �80 fixed penalty ticket or a �2,500 fine if taken to court.

Flytippers could face fines of up to �50,000 or five years in prison.