Last updated:
1st June 2026
Street cleaning
Find out about street cleaning
About street cleaning
Where we provide street cleaning
We are responsible for cleaning:
- Adopted public highways, including roads, footways, verges, traffic islands, roundabouts and lay-by's
- Town centres and public shopping areas, including council owned car parks
- Council owned housing land, including associated highways, footways, open spaces and parking areas
- Other council managed land open to the public
How we clean streets
Street cleaning is carried out using a combination of:
- Mechanical street sweeping
- Manual hand sweeping
- Litter picking
- Litter bins at key locations
Private land
Private land is the responsibility of the landowner, although we may offer advice or enforcement support where appropriate.
Leaf clearance
We are responsible for keeping the streets and pavements reasonably free from leaves during the Autumn. During periods of high leaf fall, or where a health and safety concern is raised, resources may be reallocated to address these as a priority.
Throughout November to January, we deploy teams dedicated to leaf clearance. The teams consist of a variety of mechanical and manual sweepers.
Priority is given to the following:
- Streets and footpaths with many mature trees
- Areas with a high pedestrian use
- Areas which are prone to flooding
Please be patient if there has been a rapid fall of leaves during windy weather the street cleaning crews will get round to them as soon as possible
Report street cleaning issue
You can report street cleaning issues such as:
- Missed street cleaning
- Weeds
- Leaves
- Litter
- Glass
- Oil/paint
- Bodily fluids / Waste
- Road traffic accident debris
Report debris or obstruction in the road/footway
If you're reporting an urgent issue that requires immediate attention call:
- 0118 974 6000 and select the 'highways and road maintenance' option 9am to 5pm Monday to Friday
- 0800 212 111 out of Hours - Monday to Friday 5pm to 9am, weekend days and public holiday
An urgent issue is defined as something that is very likely to present an imminent threat to life or serious injury or serious damage to property. We aim to respond to urgent issues within 2 hours.
