Sidmouth Town Council leader: ‘Keeping Sidmouth tidy’

There was a fantastic atmosphere in the town, and music and dancing everywhere.

The festival is a real asset to Sidmouth and I met many people who have been coming for years from all over the country, indeed the world.

All the hospitality venues I visited seemed busy providing much-needed business for the town.

The town council still had its monthly meeting to discuss how we can improve things further in the Sid Valley.

We work with many voluntary groups to do this, and we are hugely grateful for all the volunteers who give freely of their time.

One such group is Sidmouth Plastic Warriors who campaign for a cleaner Sidmouth and do monthly beach cleans, putting their words into practice, picking up litter, not just on the beach but elsewhere in the town.

One particular growing issue is cigarette butts. Although fewer people smoke than did some years ago, the problem seems to be getting worse.

At our council meeting it was reported that 2,565 cigarette butts were collected in 50 minutes on a recent litter pick, the majority of which were in the Ham car parks.

What people possibly don’t know is that these butts are not biodegradable and so remain in the environment for many years.

“What a great week we had at the Sidmouth Folk Festival.” (Image: Sidmouth Town Council)

Had Sir Walter Raleigh, who introduced tobacco to England in the 16th century, thrown away a filter cigarette butt, it would still be around today!

As many are disposed of in the street, they often end up being washed down into the sea, adding to the growing problem of marine plastic pollution.

I would urge anyone who smokes to dispose of their cigarette butts thoughtfully in an appropriate bin. The same of course applies to any rubbish we wish to throw away.

Another positive initiative of Sidmouth Plastic Warriors has been to introduce the beach toy libraries, funded by Sidmouth Town Council.

You may have seen these light blue boxes on the Promenade and at Port Royal. They contain beach toys that anyone is able to borrow to play with their children or grandchildren.

Once you have finished with them you simply return them for the next child to borrow. I was able to do this last week with my granddaughter.

Many of the toys may be plastic but they are far from single use and this is a sensible way to share resources for the benefit of our children whilst minimising plastic waste.

Responsibility for keeping the streets tidy is split between the different councils.

Sidmouth Town Council works with Devon County Council and East Devon District Council to try and keep Sidmouth tidy.

Sidmouth Town Council employs contractor to cut the grass, trim edges, and do litter picks away from the beach and town centre in areas such as Long Park and Manstone.

Sidmouth Town Council are now the owners of the Knowle Garden and Parkland and a lot of effort has recently been going in there to try and restore what was once a famous garden.

Good progress has been made but it will take several years to bring it back to its former glory. Our contractor is being supported by the Friends of the Knowle; another volunteer group in Sidmouth.

All our councils are doing their best to keep Sidmouth tidy and to encourage greater recycling.

You can do your bit by ensuring you dispose of rubbish thoughtfully. However if you do find an area that does need cleaning, East Devon District Council does have a website where you can report the problem and they will send someone to help.

The link is: eddc-self.achieveservice.com/service/request_street_cleaning.

Sidmouth Town Council will also help if you let us know.

Contact your local town councillor and they will ensure the issue gets resolved. Please feel free to contact me if you have any comments or concerns.