LITTER has been left strewn across the town centre since the lifting lockdown restrictions.

The sight of takeaway food wrappers blowing in the wind and overflowing soured a positive first day for Tony Rees, manager of The Entertainer.

He told the Adver: “That Monday was a very important day for us all. It was very busy that day, but on my walk home it became clear that there was an enormous amount of litter everywhere.

“It was pretty obvious that the bins were full, some people had tried their best to put their rubbish in the bin or at least near it. It was really disappointing to see the town in that state.

“The majority of it seemed to be food containers, coffee cups, wrappers. Particularly, in Wharf Green there seemed to be a lot of McDonald’s bags. 

“I can’t recall seeing the town centre ever looking like that and I’ve worked here for about six years. 

“Normally the facility team does a really good job. It was saddening to see that, we’ve been really looking forward to reopening and it was a great day, but it was ruined because of that.”

He believed a lack of preparation from Swindon Borough Council was to blame. 
When he shared his concerns on Facebook, borough councillor for the Eastcott ward Imtiyaz Shaikh, commented to let him know she had raised the issue with the council.

A council spokesperson said: “We anticipated higher footfall in the town centre as a result of the lockdown easing and planned for sufficient staff to be on duty. 

“But a surge in footfall in the late afternoon saw litter bins jammed and full towards the end of the day.

“The street cleaning team have emptied and cleaned the centre and will continue to manage the emptying of the bins as usual.

“This is an unusual occurrence and the standard of cleanliness in the town centre is generally very good with historically few complaints received.
“We will continue to monitor the situation and make adjustments to staffing where necessary.

“Any unwanted shoeboxes from purchases should be left with the respective store rather than being deposited in bins.

“If shoppers see a full bin we would urge them to hold on to their rubbish until they come to an empty bin or take it home with them to dispose of it responsibly.”