A group of residents in Richmond have raised concerns over the "poor cleanliness" of the town centre.

The Richmond Society, a community organisation, has flagged issues with the recent state of the pavements in areas such as George Street, The Quadrant and Hill Street.

In a social media post with images of the dirty pavements, the group wrote: "Many of you have commented on the poor cleanliness of the pavements in central Richmond.

"We agree. Things may have been made worse by the lack of rain, but this is a long-standing issue, and now the pavements are 'filthy' and 'disgusting' in the words of some local residents.

"We call on the council and other bodies concerned with the town centre to take action to clean things up."

London Centric reported yesterday (Monday, 3 August) that, for the first time, Kew Gardens recorded no rainfall for an entire calendar month in July, which plays a part in washing down the capital's pavements.

This is something that Councillor Katie Mansfield, Richmond Town Centre Project Lead Member, brought up in her response to The Richmond Society, saying it has made the dirt appear "more noticeable".

In her response, she explained: "I know cleanliness in the town centre has been a concern for residents, and the recent prolonged hot, dry weather has made some of the staining on our pavements much more noticeable.

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"Normally, rainfall helps to wash away some of the everyday dirt and grime. With so little rain and with hosepipe restrictions now in place, we also can't simply jet wash pavements as we might like. That is an important constraint, but it doesn't mean we're standing still."

Cllr Mansfield added that, in recent weeks, council officers identified and carried out spot cleaning in certain parts of the town centre, in addition to a "longer-term programme of work underway".

"We are purchasing a borough-wide jet-washing machine, looking at whether York Stone can be recoated to make it easier to keep clean, and exploring best practice to find environmentally sustainable ways of tackling oil and grease staining," she said.

"We're looking at the wider picture too, including how commercial waste is collected, stronger enforcement where businesses repeatedly leave waste on the street, and whether we need greater litter-bin capacity in our busiest areas.

"There's more to do, but there is a clear programme of action underway. There are also some really good suggestions in the comments here, and we will follow up on these with officers. We all want Richmond town centre to feel clean, welcoming and well cared for."

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