Civic leaders are set to spend more than £150,000 on a massive clean-up operation in a unique partnership with the Kidderminster Shuttle Series.

Wyre Forest District Council has declared war on litter, graffiti, dog dirt and vandalised buildings after the Shuttle highlighted the problems.

In a joint statement council leader Mike Oborski and deputy leader Ken Stokes said: “Litter and mess in all forms have become a major problem in Wyre Forest as well as everywhere else in the country.

“We are absolutely determined that as a council we do everything possible to tackle the problem and we are grateful for the initiative, energy and enthusiasm of the Shuttle/Times and News in highlighting the issues and playing a leading role in the campaign.”

As part of the clean-up operation, £97,000 is to be spent cleaning the streets of Kidderminster, Stourport and Bewdley with special manned machines regularly removing litter and chewing gum and disinfecting public areas.

Another £40,000 will be spent on replacing or repainting street nameplates, and £20,000 will be used to extend the war on dog dirt, which will include introducing an education programme to encourage responsible dog ownership.

Shuttle series editor Clive Joyce said: “We are delighted with such a positive response to our story and we want the whole community to get involved.

The council will work with the Shuttle on a campaign to emphasise the clean-up message, which will include a competition for schools to design a campaign mascot and slogan, and the creation of an eyesore register, which will allow residents to report blackspot areas.

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