A PENSIONER feels his attempts to get his neighbourhood cleaned up are a “wasted effort” as Barnet Council ignores his appeals.

Vincent Hawtin, who lives in Deansbrook Road, Burnt Oak, has been angered by the fly tipping and littering appearing in his area for the past five years.

He has taken photos of large areas of green covered in litter, ranging from discarded drinks containers to articles of furniture disposed of by residents and pedestrians, to show the council.

The 74-year-old said they occasionally come to clear the mess he reports but there is no consistent effort to clear the area or educate residents on how to dispose of rubbish properly.

He said: “This area used to be lovely and clear but now people sling their litter on the street and leave it there. There is no common sense anymore, people just don’t know what to do with their rubbish.

“The council charges £52 to remove any large item which obviously deters people from requesting removal, so they just throw things on the street.

“All the council needs to do is put a leaflet in each post box and a make a proper effort to clear away the mess and we could see the area become green and beautiful again.”

Mr Hawtin also complained about the motorised street cleaners used by the council, which do not adequately clear up smaller bits of litter on the edges of curbs or buried in shrubbery.

He has contacted the local government ombudsman and the department for environment, food and rural affairs (DEFRA), who both said they could not do anything and he should take it up with the council.

He has considered legal action against the council and requested compensation for the time he has spent going around reporting the littering.

The council has recently launched a campaign to encourage residents to keep their streets clean, including increased enforcement and £80 fines for littering.

A council spokesperson said: “Reports of fly-tipping in this area, and across the borough, are taken very seriously and responded to as quickly as possible.

“Our fly-tip team carries out a daily sweep of the Deansbrook Road area to clear away any dumped rubbish.

“Residents can report cases of fly-tipping, or provide anonymous information regarding fly-tipping, by ringing 020 8359 4600 or by reporting it on our website www.barnet.gov.uk/report-a-problem.”