Litter louts dump is cleaned up

Jun 2 2009 by Cameron Hay, Paisley Daily Express

GROUND beside a busy Paisley car park has been blitzed after it was turned into a dump with a mountain of rubbish buried in the shrubbery and flower beds.

And the litter louts who turned it into a dumping ground have been slammed for leaving their rubbish behind.

When a council clean-up crew moved onto the site at the Paisley Centre car park they filled more than 30 bags of litter including beer cans, bottles glasses a beer keg, an industrial saw and a kitchen worktop.

When a team of six council workers chopped away the bushes they uncovered the mess. And council chiefs have revealed that they will be talking to the owners of the land to make sure it doesn’t fall into the same state again.

Shoppers, office workers and tourists were horrified by the unsightly mess which littered the large flower bed that runs along the side of the car park.

One disgusted Buddie told the Paisley Daily Express: “It was in an appalling state. It just seemed to become a dumping ground for anything.

“The amount of glass, both broken and still intact, was nothing short of scandalous.

Another motorist leaving the centre said: “It was about time someone cleaned it up. It was an eyesore and certainly not a good advertisement for the town.

“A lot of people and different organisations have worked hard trying to clean-up Paisley’s image but this was just awful.

As part of the council’s Operation Spring Clean, six environmental services workers, complete with litter pickers and bin bags, removed more than 100 glass bottles and beer cans

A council spokesman confirmed: “Much of the rubbish on this site was beer cans and vodka bottles which suggests the land is being used as a drinking den. This is anti-social behaviour and the Renfrewshire Wardens will be keeping the site under observation in future.”

He added: “Renfrewshire Council staff cleaned up the land at Weighhouse Close as part of Operation Spring Clean. We are working hard to improve Paisley's image and to regenerate the town centre.

“We are holding talks with the owners of the Paisley Centre to explore ways to improve the land and make it into an attractive feature.”

Paisley Centre spokeswoman Michelle McCabe said: “I’m furious people are using this area as a dumping ground.

“We are working in partnership with Renfrewshire Council and looking at ways to improve the outlook of the area in the future.”