RETURNING home to South Lakeland after living abroad for nine years, a Windermere resident has voiced concern about the large amount of litter covering the town's streets.

Stephen Galloway has written to South Lakeland District Council expressing his disappointment and dismay about the number of bottle, cans and packets that are cluttering housing estates in the town.

"I think with being away for a period of time I have really noticed the amount of litter and the problem seems to be getting steadily worse," said Mr Galloway, of Claife Avenue. "I have seen bin bags ripped open by dogs, empty bottles and basically more litter, less discipline.

"Machines can't possibly reach the litter which is under hedges, we need people on the streets but South Lakeland District Council doesn't seem to be doing much. With a lot of tourists coming to the Lakes, what are they going to think?

"It seems the broken glass principle has taken effect the worse it becomes, the less people care."

SLDC's assistant director of street care, Lawrence Conway, confirmed that a street cleaner had recently left but dismissed Mr Galloway' s claims that he had been made redundant.

"A street-cleaner for this area has left, but he did so of his own accord and we are now in the process of replacing him," explained Mr Conway.

"I don't think Windermere has a particular litter problem. If members of the public notice litter building up and they contact us, with a particular area in mind, we will meet with them and try to resolve the problem."

Mr Conway's comments come in the same week that the Keep Britain Tidy Campaign group accused local authorities of failing in the war against litter. Around 10,000 sites around the country were surveyed and the group found that public spaces were being left strewn wi th rubbish and said that 66 per cent of pavements had chewing gum stuck to them. However, the report added that the amount of dog fouling was falling.