News Shopper journalists are set to prove they can wipe the floor with their rivals.

After reporting on a political spat between Labour members of the London Assembly and Tory-controlled Bromley Council over the state of the borough, the south east London newspaper decided to do something about the growing menace of fly-tipping and litter.

Through the comment page, group editor Andrew Parkes challenged both sides to stop “rubbishing” each other and get along to a special clean-up day next Saturday.

The paper had quoted the London Assembly’s environment committee chairman Samantha Heath as saying: “Tory councils like Bromley are just not interested in putting resources into cleaning up neighbourhoods and local estates.”

Bromley councillor George Taylor, responsible for the environment, responded by calling it a “cheap political shot” and said the authority would “answer to its residents”.

In a phone poll set up by the newspaper, readers voted four to one in favour of the Labour group’s accusations.

A team of journalists will join the park ranger for a clean-up session on Keston and Hayes commons, near Bromley, and numerous councillors have also agreed to attend.

A News Shopper editorial said: “While they squabble about who should be keeping Bromley ‘clean and green’, we’re actually going to go out and get on with it. No other newspaper has taken a stand.”

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