IPSWICH has been given a clean bill of health by inspectors who judged it as the tidiest town in the country.It was the first year the borough has been able to enter the clean town competition and judges were left hugely impressed with Ipswich's spotless streets and campaigns targeting cigarette litter and graffiti.

IPSWICH has been given a clean bill of health by inspectors who judged it as the tidiest town in the country.

It was the first year the borough has been able to enter the clean town competition and judges were left hugely impressed with Ipswich's spotless streets and campaigns targeting cigarette litter and graffiti.

The contest was run by the British Cleaning Council (BCC) in a bid to find the cleanest place in the country.

At a ceremony yesterday, Ipswich was named as the cleanest town in the UK, holding off competition from the London borough of Lewisham.

Inga Lockington, the borough council's environment portfolio holder, said the award was for the whole town and down to everybody's hard work.

“We have invested a lot of money in street cleaning, set up a graffiti squad and combined litter enforcement with education in schools,” she said.

“That investment is paying off. This is excellent news and I am very proud of my hard-working staff and of all the residents.”

Paul Clement is executive director of new BID company Ipswich Central, which from April will provide fast-response cleaning teams in the town centre.

He said: “This is a great accolade for the town as there is plenty of evidence to show that visitors do demand a high level of cleanliness.

“The good news is that this will get even better as, together with the borough council, we will be providing additional services which will include graffiti removal, focusing on one area of the town to provide a complete and thorough clean, more street cleaning and chewing gum removal.”

The borough council spends more than £250,000 each year cleaning the streets of Ipswich with the main of keeping the town spotless through its street care services.

Among the projects launched in a bid to improve the town centre are the Litter Education Action Plan, the Liveability Project and various cigarette litter and graffiti campaigns.

The competition, formerly Britain's Cleanest City competition, was re-launched last year as the Clean Britain Awards to allow towns and districts to enter as well as cities.

Judith West, chairman of the BCC, said: “Our judges scoured the streets and were impressed at the overall condition of the centre. Congratulations to the council, its employees and all the people of Ipswich who supported their borough and who will continue to use the bin.”

craig.robinson@eadt.co.uk

Following the news that Ipswich has been voted the cleanest town in the country the East Anglian Daily Times did its own spot checks yesterday - and found some surprising results.

There is no doubt improvements have been made as you only have to walk down Tavern Street and on to the Cornhill to see teams of workers in fluorescent jackets on their sweepers and picking up rubbish.

However other areas only a stones throw from the town centre, such as Lower and Upper Brook Street, Upper Orwell Street and behind Tower Ramparts close to the bus station, seem to have been missed.

Burger wrappers, sandwich containers, cans, bottles, cigarette packets and chewing gum can all still be found on the pavements and roads.

Graffiti also seems to be an issue in some areas, with a number of shop walls, fences and doors falling victim to “tag lines” and brightly coloured doodles.

While the problems are by no means excessive it does make you wonder if people are really getting the Keep Britain Tidy message and if Ipswich and its residents are truly deserving of the title of Cleanest Town in the UK.

n What do you think? Email us at eadtletters@eadt.co.uk, but include your postal address, write to Letters to the Editor, EADT, 30 Lower Brook St, Ipswich, Suffolk, IP4 1AN, or fax a letter on 01473 324871.