“We need to do better”.

That is the message from a councillor in response to claims Furness is ‘not clean’ or ‘attractive’ due to litter.

Councillor Beverley Morgan (Ormsgill and Parkside, Labour) called on Westmorland and Furness Council to provide additional street cleaning resources in the Furness area as well as to harmonise the reporting of litter and fly-tipping between the council areas.

Cllr Morgan told the council’s cabinet that Furness councillors are ‘constantly approached’ by residents about the state of the streets and added: “Walk in any direction within ten minutes of Barrow Town Hall and you will see piles of rubbish and scattered litter.”

In response, the cabinet member for climate, biodiversity and environmental services, councillor Giles Archibald said: “I’m very keen to look at what can be done, and I can assure you that if additional resources are the answer to this question, I’ll advocate for additional resources.”

Cllr Morgan said: “Despite what it says in our council plan, our delivery framework and on our website, Furness is not clean, well maintained, safe or attractive due to litter.”

Cllr Morgan said she recognised that as a coastal area with a ‘strong sea breeze’ and a ‘seagull problem’ the area will have a litter issue.

She added: “However, the street cleaning response is not proportionate to our needs; the quality of our Furness environment is important to local people. How it looks, how happy people feel about living in the area and how attractive it is to visitors and the many people coming into the area to work.

“We are falling short of our council plan ambitions and code of practice for street cleaning in Furness.”

Councillor Archibald urged councillors to report any issues regarding litter and said he was ‘very keen’ to hear about these problems.

Cllr Archibald said: “I’m very disappointed if any part of our council is blighted by litter and I can assure you of our attention on this issue.

“As you know the council has focussed a great deal of attention on Barrow, thanks to grants from the government.

“We consider what we’re doing in Barrow to be critically important but we’re going to fall short if we don’t as a community do the basics right like keeping our streets clean.”

He said littering was a ‘nationwide crisis’ that can be ‘detrimental’ to a community’s health.

Cllr Archibald added: “I agree with you entirely Councillor Morgan, if the streets are strewn with litter, we need to do better.”