Cllr Roy Gerstner – Community Activist

Along with other issues along the A605 Whittlesey – Peterborough, especially around the industrial area. Residents complain regularly. This week a reply came back from Fenland District Council who carry out Road Cleaning on behalf of Cambs CC.

Thank you for your recent enquiry about street sweeping, forwarded to me for my attention.

There seems to have been a miscommunication. Records are kept of the scheduled work completed by the team and the work of the sweeper is electronically monitored and recorded.

I am informed that where the large mechanical sweeper is concerned, Whittlesey is be divided into 4 quarters (these being Q1, the Main Rd East Delph round to A605; Q2, A605 to Briggate B1040; Q3, Briggate to A605; and Q4, A605 round to East Delph).
One or more zones is tackled upon each scheduled visit along with any service requests that have been raised by colleagues or the public.

I am informed that the following work was completed through the winter-

Nov 7    Main Rd Q 1-2 and Off Shoots

Nov 10  Main Rd Q 1-2 and Off Shoots

Nov 11   Main Rd B1040 and Off Shoots

Dec 6     Main A605 B1040

Dec 8     Cemetery Rd and Main A605

Dec 13   Station Rd (West End Rd A605 ) Off Shoots Q 4

Jan 8     Stonald Rd and Off Shoots Q 4  New Rd and Off Shoots Q 3

Jan 9      Finish off zone 4 and Off Shoots Q 1

Jan 11    Bassenhally and Off Shoots Q 1

Jan 13   Main A605 through Whittlesey to King’s Dyke

Jan 14   Main Rd A605 Kings Dyke

Feb 3     Main Rd A605 Kings Dyke to end of boundary with Peterborough

Feb 5     Kings Dyke Old Road and A605 Kings Dyke

Feb 6     East Delph B1040 and Stonald Rd

Feb 7     A605 from Eastrea through to Whittlesey

Mar 10   Kings Dyke

Mar 11   Main A605 and Q2

Mar 13   Main Rd Eastrea to Whittlesey

The most recent occasion that the team attended to the roundabout, on March 13, they removed 20 tonnes of materials from the roundabout and islands.
This area remains on as frequent a schedule for mechanical sweeping as is possible.

The team do their best to manage the build up of detritus across all of the Fenland streets. At points in the year there are increases in the need because of seasonal changes in transport, development, agriculture and harvests, along with the impact of the weather, that mean their work takes longer than scheduled. Whittlesey has perhaps seen more than its fair share of all of these in the past year. The roadworks, development and increased transport all add to accumulations across the area that will take the team time to cycle through.

The team have a duty to maintain a suitable quality across Fenland, focussing first on the areas of highest footfall such as the town centres and public open spaces, then the broader towns, villages and main roads.

We will ask relevant colleagues to discuss with the local businesses, that you mention, if they are appropriately using wheel washes and performing any required sweeping of their own to support the work already in place.

Should you ever wish to request additional cleansing or street sweeping then this can be performed through the Council’s website Street sweeping – Fenland District Council

Please contact me directly should you wish to discuss this or a related matter.

Kind regards
Mark Mathews
Head of Environmental Services
Fenland District Council