"TOTAL morons" are being blamed for Tandridge taxpayers having to pay a whopping £695,000 just to keep the streets clean.
The clear-up budget for this financial year – which works out at more than £2,600 per working day – has prompted a major shake-up in sweeping schedules to help tackle Tandridge's "grot spots" – and a new cleaning regime has just been brought in.
According to a council investigation, much of the blame may lie with people coming into the district from neighbouring areas – such as Redhill – or travelling through from the M25.
And it found much of the rubbish lining the region's streets is hurled from cars.
News of the massive expenditure prompted a furious outburst this week from Warlingham councillor Jeremy Pursehouse, the former deputy council leader.
He said: "We are paying a small fortune to accommodate complete morons and idiots who mindlessly throw stuff out of cars, or fling their waste in shopping areas.
"The £695,000 budget works out at about £20 for every household.
"We should go to the local motorway service stations and get them to contribute to our clean-up bill.
"They could sponsor rubbish bins, or at the very least put up 'take your litter home' signs.
"We also need a anti-litter education programme in the schools so children can get the message home to their parents through pester power."
Mr Pursehouse said being able to save £5 per household – or about £175,000 overall – could instead fund more youth leaders or pay for environmental improvements.
A revised cleaning schedule, introduced across the district last month, sees:
Rural roads swept every eight weeks instead of every 12
The A25 cleaned fortnightly, not monthly
Alleys cleaned fortnightly instead of weekly, with a "hit squad" to tackle major problems
Sweeping in busier residential areas changed from every four weeks to every eight, with "low-density" residential roads cleaned every eight weeks instead of six.
Caterham councillor David Gosling expressed worry about the condition alleys may get into, especially those near takeaways.
Tony Elias, who chairs the council's community services committee, said: "We have improved our schedule to deploy resources where they are most needed.
"An education campaign in schools is very desirable, but the fact is many people causing the problems come from outside the district."
He said Bletchingley regularly suffered from debris such as burger wrappers and drinks containers, bought in Redhill and then discarded after their contents had been devoured.
Daphne Shields, head teacher of Audley Primary School in Caterham, believes the way to tackle littering is to educate children.
The school is planning a poster competition on a Keep Caterham Tidy theme, and may hold a litter pick later in the year.
Roadchef – which runs Clacketts Lane services near junction six of the M25 – was not available for comment.
