City-Wide Road and Footpath Sweeping

 

 

Regular sweeping is needed to remove debris and silt which builds up on the footpaths, the carriageway and the channels down the side of the highway.  If debris is allowed to accumulate, weeds will grow in the silt and highway gullies will become blocked.

 

 

The mechanical sweepers used by Street Force have channel brushes to pull debris out of the channel or kerb edge into the path of the vehicle and an underslung brush to sweep the carriageway, then a vacuum suction unit lifts the material into the vehicle's hopper.  When it is full, the contents are disposed of at an approved tip.  These vehicles will remove litter, silt, leaves, small stones and glass.  They cannot remove heavy bulky items or large stones and bricks.

 

It is often necessary to carry out road sweeping operations at night when there are fewer vehicles using the highway.  Mechanical sweepers cannot operate at high speeds and can cause a traffic flow problem if operated at peak times.  Parked cars also impede our ability to effectively clean a street.  The sweeper driver has to manoeuvre around every parked car and some rubbish might be unavoidably left on the highway.

 

In the winter months road sweeping will only be carried out when the weather forecast indicates a period when temperatures are likely to remain above freezing.  Road sweeping machines could remove rock salt from road surfaces, which creates a safety hazard.

 

Footpaths are mechanically swept where access allows, but smaller more manoeuvrable machines are used.  Often the footpath sweeper driver will have an assistant to manually sweep litter and debris from inaccessible corners and litter traps.

 

Enquiries about street cleaning should be made to the Contact Centre on: (0114) 273 4567