A national competition to find the UK's most salubrious city has a notable absentee. York, traditional capital of the North, hasn't entered the contest.

Entrants vying for the title of Britain's Cleanest City 1999 include Birmingham, Oxford, Bath and Ely.

But York is not among the contenders.

The competition - organised by the British Cleaning Council which represents the cleaning industry - aims to identify the country's cleanest city in its environs and public buildings; to encourage and recognise efforts to raise cleanliness standards; and to create an awareness of the need to continually improve the environment.

Entries for the 1999 contest must be in by the end of the month, and the winner will be announced in April.

Entrants must outline the local authority's strategies for achieving high cleanliness standards.

The judges will also visit each city to get a "tourists' eye view", which may focus on litter.

But a City of York Council spokesman said it had not entered the British Cleaning Council competition in the past because there was a commercial interest involved. "We prefer to concentrate our efforts on more community-based projects."

He said these included Tidy Britain Group competitions, adding that the city was the winner of three Yorkshire in Bloom trophies in different categories in 1998.

The council had concentrated on a range of issues, including recycling.

"We take seriously, in partnership with local residents and businesses, the issue of providing a clean and welcoming environment," he said.

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