A WOMAN who voluntarily cleans Spalding’s streets every day says its residents must start taking pride in where they live.
Sandra White believes fighting growing problems such as litter and anti-social behaviour must be made a priority to ensure the town can thrive again.
Sandra (68), who has previously been crowned Citizen of the Year and Green Volunteer of the Year at the South Holland Pride Awards for patrolling the streets for up to five hours a day, thinks the answer is for everyone to do their bit and keep their own areas tidy.
She believes if people see an area is looked after they will be less likely to carelessly toss their rubbish aside.
She said: “I have no rubbish in my streets and just two little bins on the bus station and King’s Road. Everyone used to say ‘what a mess’ but I make sure we don’t get any rubbish on the front now.”
In the early hours of the day, it’s not unusual to see Sandra armed with gardening tools making sure everything is looking its best. But it’s taken her a long time to get it this way and she fears the rest of the town has “had it” unless it’s put right soon.
She says some areas have left her feeling “queasy” with rubbish left to rot for months at a time.
Sandra, of Sandtone Gardens, has even come up with a more radical suggestion for South Holland District Council to consider – to put all major developments on hold for a year to get the town ship-shape.
“They need to stop thinking about building and get things right,” she said. “I’ve been out in the morning and people have told me they can’t wait to move away.”
Sandra says she has been “making a fool” of the council by single-handedly keeping the area around Winfrey Avenue and Pinchbeck Road so tidy.
She added: “We need to hold on and get Spalding right from the litter upwards.”