PLANS are being drawn up for a summer cleaning blitz across York.

A month-long campaign devised by City of York Council is to be launched with the aim of sprucing up the city in time for the main tourist season and getting residents involved in highlighting eyesore areas.

The clean-up drive, which will run throughout June, is to focus on open spaces, riverside areas, back lanes, traffic islands, verges and street furniture, with schools, youth groups and community organisations all being invited to take part.

A report on the campaign, which will go before the council’s executive member for neighbourhood services, Coun Anne Reid, next week, said it may also lead to the creation of “street champions”, who can help identify untidy hotspots and problem areas.

“York is a fabulous place to live, work and visit, and everybody benefits from the superb environment both in the city and within the neighbourhood area,” it said.

“However, similar to most councils in the UK, York does suffer from relatively small amounts of environmental crime, which impacts negatively on the ‘liveability’ of the areas.

“It is important that work continues to find suitable solutions to local environmental issues and concerns while promoting everything which is good about our city to both residents and visitors alike, so the high levels of employment, satisfaction, investment and success can continue.”

The Mid-Summer Clean-Up Campaign will include a tougher approach towards shops, restaurants and fast food outlets that fail to keep the areas outside their premises clean, cross-city inspections by street environment officers, targeting of areas blighted by dog fouling, school visits and the encouragment of council workers to be the project’s “eyes and ears”.

The council has also made an application to Keep Britain Tidy to play a part in a July outdoor advertising campaign the group is planning to run together with ten local authorities across the UK, aimed at 18-24-year-olds.

More information about how residents can take part in the campaign and report local issues will be available later this month.