Town wardens to make clean sweep of district

The four wardens will each operate throughout Banbridge, Dromore, Rathfriland and Gilford town centres, ensuring that the streetscapes are kept in pristine condition at all times.

Each warden will be responsible for lifting litter, removing flyposting and graffiti, maintaining street furniture such as litter bins, seating and signage as well as reporting offenders who drop litter or allow their dogs to foul footpaths without cleaning up.

Banbridge District Council’s Chairman of Environmental Services, Councillor Carol Black has hailed the advent of the new service as a major boost for the well-being of the district.

She said, “We have been working on this proposal for some time now and we are delighted that these new wardens will be routinely on hand in the four main centres of the district to make sure that the appearance of our streets is top class.

“This will not only be good for the residents of our towns, but also good for the local economy as appealing town centre environments attract visitors from far and wide to our shops and other facilities.”

Director of Environmental Services, David Lindsay, said, “Our new Town Centre Wardens will complement the existing council provision for maintaining the local environment.

“Their key role is to provide a dedicated, recognisable presence on the streets of our town centres, so that residents and visitors alike will be reassured of the council’s commitment to protecting and maintaining our town centre environments.

“We would encourage the public to talk to the wardens, who will be highly visible with their council uniform and identification badges, if they wish to highlight any town centre maintenance issue that they feel needs to be addressed.”