Streets
Street cleaning and sweeping
We sweep the main roads on an 8 week schedule; the town centre 3 weekly and all the remaining roads are swept on a 13 weekly schedule. If you see a road or pavement that needs sweeping, then please report it to us.
Litter
In addition to providing litter bins we also carry out litter picking. It is important that everyone takes responsibility for improving the environment by using the litter bins provided. If you do notice any littered areas, then please report this to us.
Litter and dog bins
All town centre litter bins are emptied at least twice a week. All other litter bins are emptied at least once a week. If you see a full litter bin that needs emptying or a damaged litter bin, you can report it to us online.
Grass cutting
The grass cutting season will usually be April to October depending on weather and ground conditions. The majority of grass cutting is carried out on a 3 week schedule. If you see any uncut or untidy grassed areas, then please report them to us.
Street naming and numbering
You can apply to rename or renumber an existing property. We charge £50 per property for this process.
Weeds
We are responsible for treating the weeds on public roads and footpaths. We are not responsible for treating weeds on unadopted roads or pavements, responsibility for this usually rests with the developer
Fly tipping
Fly-tipping is the illegal dumping of rubbish or bulky items on land not licensed for this purpose. Fly-tipping can be dangerous, pollutes land and waterways and costs the Council Tax payer significant amounts of money to clear away. If you notice any fly tipping please report it to us.
Trees
All trees are potentially hazardous; however, the inspection programme can reasonably only address the conditions most likely to lead to injury or damage to people or property. We will categorise all of our trees in to 1 of 3 zones depending on the risk. The zoning of the tree will dictate the inspection frequency
Potholes
We are not responsible for potholes in the roads or pavements, the responsibility for these sits with Lancashire County Council (LCC).
Hedge and shrub maintenance
If you notice any overgrown hedges or shrubs, then please report it to us. Each report will be looked at and dealt with on case by case basis.
Children's play areas
Safety of play areas is important to us. We check our play areas regularly. If you notice an issue on any of our children's play areas, please report this to us so we can resolve the issue.
Grid, drain or flooding problems
As part of our responsibility for sweeping the roads, we are also responsible for ensuring the drains and gullies remain free from waste on the surface. Blocked gullies can lead to an increase in surface flooding.
Street furniture and street lighting
We are responsible for street furniture and lighting that is on council land. LCC are responsible for street lighting and furniture on the adopted roads and pavements.
Obstruction in the road or pavement
Lancashire County Council (LCC) are responsible for all adopted roads and pavements. Any obstructions on either the road or pavement should be reported directly to LCC.
Bus shelters
We are responsible for a select number of bus shelters in the borough. Others are either the responsibility of Lancashire County Council (LCC) or privately owned. We undertake repairs as required to our bus shelters and undertake a yearly clean of the shelters. Any damaged shelters that are maintained by us can be reported to us.
Memorial benches
The price of memorial benches varies, dependant on the make of the bench. We are responsible for benches situated on sites such as Astley Park, cemeteries, and recreation ground. You can report any issues with benches to us online.
Plants and wildflowers
We strive to make the borough a colourful and attractive place to live, work and visit, this includes the planting of bedding plants, bulbs and wildflowers.
Dropped needles and syringes
We will remove needles and syringes from the pavement or public open spaces and make sure that they are disposed of appropriately.
Cold weather, ice and snow
Lancashire County Council (LCC) are responsible for gritting the adopted roads. LCC do not grit every road in Lancashire as they concentrate on keeping traffic moving on priority roads.
Abandoned vehicle
It is against the law to abandon a vehicle and it can lead to a fine of up to £2,500 or 3 months imprisonment, or both. If you see an abandoned vehicle please report it to us.
Dog fouling
If you spot dog fouling in a public place or spot someone not cleaning up after their dog, please report it to us. Reporting dog fouling online is helpful for us to be able to target our patrols. Please provide times of day and who might be allowing their dog to foul, if known. All reports of dog fouling are treated confidentially.
Alley gates
To request an alley gate you first of all need to contact your local councillor. Keys cost £15 and will only be issued to those entitled to them, the keys are high security and cannot be copied.
Graffiti and fly posting
We will remove graffiti from any public building or item of street furniture with the highest priority given to racist or offensive graffiti. Cases of fly-posting will be investigated, although posters for a local charitable organisation or local amateur dramatics group are not considered to be fly-posting. Advertising for events such as a circus or fairs may be permitted prior to the event.