In Salford, St Stephen’s Gardens is a patch of green among the office blocks, houses, and apartments that make up the much of the city centre.
The pocket park, based off Trinity Way, could be a haven for the community, a place for lunch-time walks and evening picnics where friends and family meet.
But the space has found itself at the centre of a problem that some say is causing division in the city.
“Not too long ago there was trash everywhere,” says Brian Westley, a New Yorker who has lived in Salford for more than two decades.
The 52-year-old passes through the park regularly on his walks to the city centre, but believes a growing litter problem is causing people to avoid the space altogether.
In a community where many live in apartments and may not know their neighbours, clean and safe public spaces have never been more important.
Determined to do something about the litter situation, Brian has put himself on the frontline of Salford’s fight against litter, and has called on the council to do more to help.
He started litter picking in St Stephen’s after becoming fed up with how bad it looked while passing through.
The main cause, he says, is overflowing bins ending up being blown in the wind and spreading across Salford, as well as people who dump their rubbish anywhere without a care.
He’s set up new community groups in the city, primarily to help people in the area connect with each other, but also to tackle litter as a group.
“I’ve reported things to the council but it’s hard to constantly do that, I’m not a full-time park warden but they want me to be,” he added.
“There are no litter bins, there’s no place for people to throw their litter, it’s a shame because it’s a beautiful park and it could be used, but it’s not.”
On March 15, volunteers cleaning up St Stephen’s were left in shock when they found what appeared to be a gun hidden in nearby bushes.
It was reported to Greater Manchester Police (GMP) who attended the scene and said there was not thought to be a risk to the wider public at the time.
GMP was asked for an update on where the suspected weapon may have come from.
But the finding was a sign, Brian says, that Salford’s litter issue is becoming a symptom of bigger problems in the city.
The problem is getting worse, he says, adding that it is being left to local residents to sort out.
During the litter pick on March 15, volunteers collected 110 bags of rubbish in two hours.
Among the findings were broken bottles, cans, and canisters, as well as larger items such as mattresses, left on the streets.
The scale of the issue is putting people off using Salford’s parks, Brian adds.
“Families just walk straight through, the issue is mainly around the benches, people leave broken bottles and takeaway boxes, it gets all over the grass.
“There’s no schedule for when the bins are emptied and they usually end up overflowing.
“We’ve found a gun, we’ve found drug needles, sometimes I question why I’m doing this, I feel they’re putting us at risk.”
Salford council, like many authorities across the country, has found itself having to make difficult choices with its budget.
City mayor Paul Dennett says the council lost sums to the tune of £245m under the previous government, a situation which has left the town hall having to hike council tax to keep funding essential services.
The city has also been gripped by a growing housing and homelessness crisis, which has left more than 1,000 children living in temporary accommodation.
In that context, some may wonder whether litter should appear at the top of agendas at council meetings.
But Brian’s frustrations with the issue have been echoed by Jonathan Moore, a Lib Dem councillor in Salford Quays.
Last year, the Local Democracy Reporting Service shared how local councillors in the Quays ward were becoming increasingly concerned about the build up of litter, especially in the waterways.
During a meeting at Salford Civic Centre last September, a plan was agreed to take steps to protect the city’s waters from litter and rubbish.
This was aimed at bringing together businesses, community groups, and council officials to find ways to reduce the amount of rubbish in the city’s rivers and water systems.
Coun Moore says regular litter-picking events by the community in the Quays have largely managed to contain the problem in the ward – but he said Salford council could still do more to help.
“There’s very little systematic cleaning done by the council,” he said. “We do litter picking in Salford Quays pretty much every month, near enough, ten or eleven times a year, and the Quays is pretty clean now.
“It’s the broken window syndrome, where if it looks a mess, people keep it looking a mess.”
Coun Moore recognised that town halls are having to make tough decisions all the time about what to do with their budgets, which are stretching thinner each year.
But he feels tackling litter should be more of a priority than it currently is in Salford.
“I do think the importance of things like this have been forgotten by the council,” he said.
Coun Moore joined Brian and other volunteers on the March 15 litter pick, and said he was left “shocked by how bad it was.”
“I realise it’s not an easy choice to make [which services to fund] but we can’t have neighbourhoods looking like that.
“We found an abandoned mattress and big items, there was a fridge, we saw broken bottles, there was all sorts of stuff. It was appalling, they are letting residents down.”
Like Brian, Coun Moore says litter could be contributing to other problems in Salford, including anti-social behaviour.
“The council needs to put more budget behind cleaning and have its councillors out and about getting stuff done, it should not be all down to residents like Brian,” he said.
Coun Barbara Bentham is a member of Paul Dennett’s cabinet team at Salford council, and the lead on neighbourhoods, environment and community safety.
She said council staff are just as fed up with litter and fly-tipping in the city as residents, and that the issue is a priority among the city’s council leaders.
“We are aware of fly tipping hot-spots, which is equally frustrating for council staff who have to repeatedly clear illegal waste from the same areas,” she said.
“The council treats this problem very seriously and the city mayor’s manifesto includes a priority to combat fly-tipping and littering.”
Later this year, an environmental summit is being arranged by the council, in a meeting which will bring together its communities and partner agencies to try and address the situation.
But Coun Bentham conceded that tackling litter and fly-tipping is an “ongoing challenge” for the town hall.
She added: “The council is also reviewing further preventative measures to ensure these areas remain clear, which includes monthly visits by our environmental services team to prevent the build-up of significant amounts of waste, to support our daily presence, at numerous hotspot locations across the city.
“We are also working closely with other partner organisations and our community litter groups and volunteers, so together we can make a lasting impact that will help keep Salford’s streets, parks, and green spaces clean and safe for our residents.”
