ST HELENS has been voted fourth cleanest of all the 36 Metropolitan Authorities in the country in a survey carried out on behalf of the Tidy Britain Group.

The surveys, carried out by trained surveyors, covered a one-kilometre diameter circle from the town hall.

The sites examined were graded from A (totally free from rubbish) to D (heavily littered). The surveyors noted the kind of litter found and recorded how much dog fouling, graffiti and vandalism they had discovered.

Findings were as follows:

17 per cent of streets were graded A compared with an overall average of five per cent.

Only three per cent of St Helens streets were graded C or D.

11 per cent of sites inspected (streets, car parks, open areas, etc.) had evidence of dog fouling against six per cent overall (mainly residential streets).

Seven per cent of sites had evidence of graffiti against 16 per cent overall.

There was no evidence of vandalism.

Out of 58 litter bins, none were overflowing.

Overall, St Helens recorded the biggest fall in litter relating to smokers.

Council Leader, Mike Doyle, said: "We must thank the people of St Helens for helping the town to become one of the cleanest among Metropolitan Authorities in the country. If we are to attract new investment a clean image of the town is important. The council is committed to providing facilities to help the public to dispose of litter rather than throwing it in the streets."

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