IN recent weeks there have been a number of letters about the state of Evesham and we wanted to respond to some of the concerns raised.

In reference to Mr Temple Fry’s letter Our Filthy Town (April 16) about the broken glass around the war memorial in Abbey Park, we have had two recent incidents of vandalism in the park which resulted in a tree being pulled out, damage to a litter bin and broken glass being left on the floor.

Both of these incidents have been reported to the police and we have asked for extra patrols to be carried out now the lighter nights and warmer weather have arrived.

The park is also litter picked daily before 9am and a second litter pick will be carried out during the day starting from May 2 and continuing throughout the summer months.

The condition of the Crown Court Yard is unfortunately beyond our control as it is private land, but we will speak to the landowner about this issue.

Similarly, the state of the paving in the town square is a Worcestershire County Council issue, but we will raise it with them as well.

In response to the comments about it taking three years to address issues with those drinking and causing anti-social behaviour in Workman Gardens. Previously, the police were the organisation responsible for leading on the enforcement of such issues.

However, Wychavon District Council has taken advantage of a recent change in the law which has allowed us to introduce our own dispersal order in response to residents’ concerns.

This will be rigorously enforced through our community safety team with support from the police.

To those residents concerned about the amount of chewing gum and tobacco products littering the streets, we would like to reassure them we are aware of the situation and are actively working on a solution to address this.

We hope to announce the details in the next few weeks.

However, I would point out that we all have a responsibility for keeping our towns and villages clean and tidy.

Dropping chewing gum and cigarette butts is littering and punishable by a £75 fine and potential prosecution through the courts.

We would ask people to support our efforts to keep Evesham looking its best by putting their rubbish, in whatever form, in the bin.

Sharon Casswell

Client Services Manager

Wychavon District Council