"Litter was strewn everywhere" - Halifax resident speaks out after rubbish bins at Shibden Park left overflowing

Christine Rowland pictured the rubbish on Sunday and said she was saddened that members of the public had left their rubbish to pile up in the park and that no-one from Calderdale Council had cleared it up.

“Much of it had blown into the boating lake,” Christine said. “I won’t even mention the public loos.

"We really all have to do better.

"I felt quite sad after talking to a few visitors with children who’d travelled from a distance to visit the Hall and were shocked at the amount of litter.

"It’s not just Shibden - for example, Albert Promenade has high capacity bins - they weren’t emptied over last Bank Holiday and litter was strewn everywhere.

"Though ideally people should take litter home, I’m sure that in Shibden those who had left litter by the bins fully expected it to be collected when the park closed.

"If we are attracting tourists to visit, there has to be a better way to keep our beauty spots clean and safe to use.

"Calderdale seems to have no plan at all at present .

"I’d also like to know what exactly is the function of the Calderdale CCTV van. It’s flagged up as keeping residents safe - they were the only Calderdale staff in evidence.”

Coun Jenny Lynn, Calderdale Council’s Cabinet Member for Public Services and Communities, said: “We are sorry that Shibden Park fell below acceptable standards during the spring bank holiday. On bank holiday weekends, when more people are out enjoying our parks and high streets, bins get full much quicker and there are fewer staff available to empty them as often as during the normal working week.

“We are addressing this by visiting and cleansing key areas before very busy periods; providing 24 extra bins over summer in places where lots of people visit, including Shibden Park; and working with our increasing band of volunteers to remove litter as quickly as possible when it does appear.”