The city council leader insisted “this is not just a one-off spring clean”
A large amount of needles were reportedly discovered during a city centre clean-up operation in Peterborough. City council staff and councillors were out in high-vis jackets on Wednesday as part of Operation Horizon, which aims to get tough on issues in the city centre.
Councillor Chris Wiggin, cabinet member for environment, was among those who carried out a litter pick during the morning and said he was shocked by what they had found.
He told the Local Democracy Reporting Service: “I’d been out with officers from the environmental side, along with volunteers from the Litter Wombles and IRC, looking at areas around The Embankment and nearby. We were finding all sorts of things in there. One of our teams found over 71 drugs needles which have now been cleaned up.
“We also found evidence of homeless people living in the woods and we were looking at the river front to see what we can do to make it a nicer place for people to enjoy.”
Cllr Wiggin added: “We did a walk along Potters Way and found some fly-tipping which included evidence of the name and address of the person who left it, so that’s been passed onto our enforcement team to be dealt with.”
Some of the action taken during the operation has included: jet-washed streets, street drinkers being handed fines and offered support, litter picking in hot spot areas, and businesses being visited to check they were meeting licensing requirements and Food Safety Standards.
Other issues being tackled included: begging, rough sleeping, taxi and private hire compliance, parking contraventions, and boat-related anti-social behaviour/encroachment onto the embankment.
Peterborough City Council leader Shabina Qayyum noted that Operation Horizon was a continuous effort that would see the team of staff, councillors and other volunteers meet every few months to keep on top of the issues that harmed the city centre.
“This is not just a one-off spring clean,” she said.
Cllr Qayyum insisted that there would be a “renewed focus” on the city centre and residents would be able to see a change in the look and feel of the city centre over the coming weeks and months.
The council is carrying out the operation alongside partners including Peterborough Positive and Cambridgeshire Police.


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