Asking for the road I live on to be cleaned and kept free of litter

There is certainly movement afoot with us Gransnetters in the last few days - it feels like we are all collectively deciding we need a bit of GranPower!!

Well done carol a lady after my own heart. We live in a private street and have to clean it ourselves, we also have to have it surfaced and getting all the owners to agree to pay is a b.....y nightmare - I religiously sweep the pavements and clear out the gutters of weeds, the remains of picnics which take place outside the house and fag-ends left by people who park on our property and when asked to move, give me a mouthfull and tell me there's no such thing as private property - excuse me...... The road is covered in builders debris from various building projects in the area and the sand blows up from the beach. I think I am becoming a grumpy old woman - well the OG would say definitely a GOW. What is it with people these days? No pride and everyone is owed a favour. -time :-(

Well done. Carol. If everyone made a fuss, we would get the services we deserve. The pavements on my part of the street are atrocious. They are narrow and still have the patchwork of trenches that were dug for cabling at least 20 years ago. Frost has created cracks in the tarmac. There is a large sheltered flats complex up the road and a number of people have mobility scooters. It is equally hazardous for parents with buggies. Our small town's centre is in the (long-drawn-out) process of 'revitalisation' which looks very good - or will do if it is ever finished - but beyond the shops, nothing has been done to improve matters. I feel a campaign coming on!

I've had yet another official call just a few minutes ago to confirm the job was completed and assure me that they want me to be happy about the cleanliness of my road. I'm starting to wonder if they want to wear me down so I avoid ever complaining again! Still, the road looks very pretty, and I'm no longer ashamed of all the litter that was stuck in the hedges until I asserted myself.

Don't be embarrased all your complaints worked, congratulations. It's great when someone eventually listens.Result!

Ooooohhhhh!! How embarrassed am I? After kicking up a fuss (it has built up over 5 years), I have had numerous phone calls today and a visit from an official. Then, when I returned home from shopping at 4 pm, there was a street cleaning vehicle and a white van with two men who have leaf blowers, sweeping brushes and litter pickers, cleaning the lane like it's never been cleaned in its life! Then, the leaf blowing man knocked on my door and insisted I should escort him to inspect the lane, which he proceeded to photograph as evidence for his boss! Then, I got another phone call from the official who had visited earlier, asking me if I was satisfied with the work. Someone has had a rocket! So embarrassing being led up the lane in front of my neighbours. I wonder if they'll clean it again in a fortnight? TeeHee!!

Between us and the shops there is one narrow stretch of pavement on a busy road. Time after time cars park there with two wheels on the pavement - it is handy to nip round the corner to the shops. A buggy or a wheelchair would not get past between the car and a wall.

On one occasion I watched while a young mother took a pram and a toddler out into the road to get round a parked car. I waited until the driver came back and told him. His response? "I was only gone five f**** minutes". If pedestrians stood in the middle of the street gossiping for five minutes the horns would be blazing!

Now that I have a mobile phone with a camera, I take a picture of any car blocking the path, making sure the number plate is visible. Then if I am not in a hurry I loiter until the driver returns and make a show of taking another. Hopefully it discourages a few people.

We voiced our displeasure at dirty street and were told we were not entitled to have it cleaned. Some areas are not accepted by the local authority and we should arrange it ourselves. If we were a private gated road I could understand.

Sorry - typo - should say Annobel

Good idea Annonbel. If it comes to it, I will contact the Manchester Evening News.

They promised me I was on a regular cleaning round in June, and then cleaned the road once that week. Not been near since, despite assuring me by email that they would, so I copied the local councillor in to the email I sent back to them this week, and they came scurrying round to see me. The official who visited told me he would post his card through my door when the road had been cleaned and inspected, and he 'would appreciate me contacting him direct if I have any other problems.' There's no way I'm doing that if they continue to let me down - I will be writing to councillors and the council leader next time! When I retired, I didn't envisage I would become a complainer, although my brother-in-law claims he will be able to write complaint letters to his heart's content when he retires!

Carol, get the local press to come along and take a picture of it.

Can we have a traffic warden down our lane - especially at school arriving/leaving time. Why to kids need upmarket transit vans to travel in and why to the drivers pick up the keys and leave their brains on the worktop?

carol even though you are kept waiting for them to come and do the cleaning I would still keep going to the top,get the e-mail address of the person in charge and make it your business to become a nusience when necessary,they will soon get fed up and put you on a regular cleaning round.