"MY OLD MAN'S
A DUSTMAN ..." |
| Inside Out's Tessa Dunlop gets down
and dirty |
They say cleanliness is next to
godliness, but some of us think that only applies in our own homes.
Inside Out West takes to the pavements to meet the people who make
sure our streets are spick and span when we get up in the morning. Whilst out on a Friday or Saturday night it has become
commonplace to see rubbish thrown on the streets of most towns around
the UK. Some revellers don't think twice about ditching the odd
food wrapper or drink can on the pavement, yet someone has to be out there
later that night or early the next morning picking it up. Tessa Dunlop heads out into the early morning chill to
see the flip side of a night out on the town. Ankle high | | Cleaners mistook
this piece of artwork for rubbish at the Tate Gallery |
The Tate may consider bags of rubbish to be high art
but for the cleaners on the streets of Bristol it's anything but. Every weekend around 30,000 people crowd into Bristol
city centre to eat, drink, be merry and sometimes cause a bit of trouble. As Tessa joins her cleaning gang it's looking like it
may be a long night ahead. Early in 2004 council workers in Bristol were finding
that such a huge amount of rubbish was left on the streets each morning
that day cleaning crews found it hard to cope. The sheer volume of work needed each morning just to
recover from "the night before" became too much. So, in April 2004 the city council started a new cleaning
shift. At a cost of £120,000 per year the new shift cleans
through the night, enabling day crews to keep the mess to a minimum. But working at night brings with it the added problem
of dealing with rowdy behaviour. Something Tessa isn't too keen to encounter! Safe working environmentAs the police are kept busy with disruptive behaviour
from groups out drinking in the city, Tessa and the cleaning crew are
faced with the mountain of rubbish they have to try collect. Luckily, Tessa is with a group of experts, who come across
this sort of problem on a regular basis. But before the cleanup can begin, the police need to
assure the cleaners' safety from the rowdy groups.  | | It is up to
the police to make sure the streets are safe enough for the cleaners
to begin work |
As with many large cities, drunk and disorderly behaviour
in Bristol is a common problem, so police have their own regular cleanup
operation to deal with. But instead of arresting dozens of people for minor offences,
the police have taken on the new tact of embarrassing people into behaving
properly... and telling them that relieving yourself on a doorway is certainly
not on! It is a problem with no easy solution for police. If they allow unruly behaviour in the city centre it
becomes a potentially dangerous place for the street cleaners to work. But if they arrest everyone who is being rowdy or disruptive
the cells would be full in an instant. The marshals are in town| Taxi Marshals Facts | Taxi Marshals were introduced in the city centre
in September 2004 for a three month trial which
will cost the council £4,000
Marshals will be in operation from 11pm until 3am every Friday and
Saturday night
Deploying the three taxi marshals is part of Bristol council's "Night
Safe" initiative which sets out to make the city streets safer
at night
Marshals will ensure only licensed Hackney cabs pick up passengers
in the queues
Although they have no powers of arrest the marshals will be able
to stop passengers getting into a taxi when they are unfit to travel |
Another way Bristol City Council is trying to make the
streets safer at nights is to bring in taxi marshals. Marshals have been introduced for a three month trial
period, at a cost of £4,000. With so many people in the city centre the queues at
the taxi stands continue to grow, which in itself can be a recipe for
trouble. Marshals will now be able to monitor not only the safety
of the partygoers but also the taxi drivers. Although they have no powers to arrest anyone, they will
be able to ensure passengers dispose of any bottles, cans or food before
they travel. By being in close contact with the police, the taxi marshals
will also be able to keep an eye on any antisocial behaviour, thus keeping
our cleaners safer once again. Clean up beginsIt's 3am and the bars and clubs are now closing, which
means revellers drop into the local takeout shops to grab a bite to eat
before heading home. For Tessa and the cleaning crew it spells out even more
rubbish to collect as empty food wrappers are thrown to the floor. Police deal with the last of the slightly aggressive
crowd and finally the streets are empty. Everyone is off home, time for heads to hit pillows as
a big night comes to an end. But for the street cleaners their night has literally
just begun. The streets may be vacant of people but they are full
of rubbish, so it's a hard graft for Tessa and her crew. Alas, as the last of the litter is picked up it's time
for a cuppa and a rest. It's been a long night but it's just one of many for
these street cleaners.
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