Fury at Cotswolds town’s plan to fine locals for ‘ruining it for tourists’ | UK | News
Residents of a posh Cotswolds town are furious over plans to fine them for leaving bins outside amid fears of a “disaster” at the historic conservation area. New rules proposed for Tewkesbury, a pretty Gloucestershire market town, could see households penalized for failing to remove wheelie bins from the street. This follows a petition from Tewkesbury Civic Association expressing concern about the “bin disaster” in the area, which is claimed to be preventing tourists from taking good Instagram photos and reducing property values.
Tewkesbury Borough Council has proposed measures for a six-month pilot scheme, initially with written warnings for repeat offenders and possible financial penalties thereafter. Local resident Kamila Pavolva, 45, described the proposals as “nonsense” and insisted no one could remove trash cans from the street for her while she works as a doctor.
But civic body chairman Alan Purkiss said he was “confident” the town’s tourism, property values and inward investment had been “severely impaired” by the bin issue.
“It’s a beautiful old town,” he said. “But if you are disabled, in a wheelchair or driving a carriage, sometimes you can’t get through because of the bins.
“I know people who are threatening to leave the area because they are tired of walking out the front door and the first thing they see is the bins outside.
“People tell me visitors approach them saying, ‘What a shame about the trash cans.’ If you were taking photos here, you really wouldn’t want a row of trash cans.”
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Retired architect Marty Trembath, 71, added: “I hate all the bins. It’s just laziness. It affects the look of the city centre. If you’re coming as a tourist why do you want to see bins everywhere? It’s ugly. Full stop.”
Councilor Murray Stewart, Tewkesbury Borough Council’s lead member for environmental services, said the local authority would work with residents to understand the “specific challenges” they were concerned about before embarking on the project.
“It has been proposed for a six-month trial and will require dedicated resources to work directly with households where bins are not collected, with support and training,” he added.
“Any enforcement measures may come later and only if agreed. These are not part of the initial six-month phase. This may be a last resort, but we are making it clear publicly that this may be an avenue we will explore.”
