COLCHESTER Council has set out how it plans to keep the borough’s streets clean over the next three years.

Plans include mapping out the street cleaning routes and the sites of all litter and dog bins on the authority’s website.

High-profile clean-ups in parts of Colchester where litter is a problem are also being promised, along with more recycling of waste emptied from bins and picked up by street cleaners.

Officers will also be looking at innovative ways of giving residents more power to influence decisions.

One scheme to be looked at would see residents helping to decide how and where budgets could be best spent.

Also to be considered further is whether to offer people caught dropping litter the chance to do community service, instead of paying an £80 fine.

Incentives for groups to pick up litter are also being looked out, particularly in relation to the town centre and the surrounding areas at night.

Deputy leader Martin Hunt, who has taken over responsibility for street and waste services from Labour group leader Tim Young, said he would continue his predecessor’s good work.

Mr Young, who held the role for two years and was heavily involved in the plans until taking up his new responsibilities, said the council was just delivering what the residents wanted.

He said: “Whenever we do surveys, the things people always talk about are having cleaner streets, collecting rubbish regularly, feeling safe and being protected and that is what we are doing here.

“This is us putting our resources where people want them to be.

“We think keeping the streets of Colchester clean is very important.”

The council is spending £839,000 this year on employing 46 staff who pick up litter, sweep roads, clean and maintain public toilets, empty litter and dog bins and issue fines.

They collect nearly 40,000 tonnes of waste, empty and maintain 945 litter bins and 757 dog bins, and investigate and clear more than 300 incidents of flytipping.