Call to all for Cleaner Britain

MANCHESTER, England, May 28/PRNewswire/ --

The British public are being urged to get their hands dirty, if they are
unhappy with the state of the environments in which they live and work.

The British Cleaning Council (BCC), organisers of the Clean Britain
awards, is calling on the UK's urban and rural dwellers to play a part in
shaping their own neighbourhoods.

Steve Wright, Chairman of BCC said: "The aim of the Clean Britain Awards
is to recognise and reward the organisations in Britain who toil to keep the
streets clean and tidy.

"We would like to see residents and workers of cities, towns and
districts throw their weight behind any campaign to make theirs a cleaner,
greener location, whether that be through organised clean-ups or by working
in harmony with their local authority."

This call to action follows research from Keep Britain Tidy claiming that
'Neighbourhood Appearance' is one of three things, along with level of crime
and community spirit, that people are least happy with.(x)

Ginette Unsworth, Senior Marketing & Communications Manager, Keep Britain
Tidy said: "The public needs to take more responsibility for their
communities by looking after it and keeping it litter free and tidy. Local
authorities also need to be making nice neighbourhoods a top priority."

The 2008/09 Clean Britain Awards have just been launched - inspection
criteria cover litter, cigarette butts, chewing gum fly tipping, graffiti,
dog fouling and all issues impacting on visitor impressions, wherever the
location. Judges arrive in all entrant destinations unannounced, examining
transport hubs, tourist facilities, parks and gardens, to name a few of the
spots they monitor for cleanliness.

Steve Wright said: "We have previously seen all four capitals of the UK
enter this prestigious competition and now with towns and districts eligible
for entry, most of the UK has the opportunity to enter the Awards scheme. Not
only is it a chance for the cleanest locations to be rewarded but many
cities, towns and districts have an opportunity to get advice from cleaning
industry experts on how to improve their cleansing operations."

Steve Wright added: "We believe this is the most important environmental
competition there is in the UK - a chance for all communities to stand up and
take pride in their own neighbourhoods. The tide is turning on litter louts
but we all need to work closer together to achieve a cleaner and tidier
Britain."

More information can be found at http://www.cleanbritainawards.co.uk

For further information

Please note we have ISDN facilities available for radio interviews. For
more on British Cleaning Council see http://www.britishcleaningcouncil.org

Notes to Editors

The BCC has been in existence for 25 years and is made up of 19
associations of training institutions and trade associations from carpet
cleaners and housekeepers to contract cleaners and waste managers.

(x) A cross section of people from all over England were interviewed.
Results can be found in a research report by Keep Britain Tidy, entitled
"Measuring Quality of Life: Does Local Environmental Quality Matter?"-http://www.keepbritaintidy.org

Source: British Cleaning Council

Please contact Eibhlin O'Somachain, British Cleaning Council, on +44(0)161-4068197 or +44(0)7779-341565.

2008-05-27 19:03:26 0371129 PRNEWSWIRE