Burger King and McDonald's back clean-up campaign

Residents in the Bede Ward had criticised the mess being left around the Burger King and McDonald’s sites.

Now ward councillors are joining forces with the staff at the two outlets to take part in the ‘Clean for the Queen’ initiative this weekend.

The campaign aims to inspire people to help give their local communities a spring clean ahead of the Queen’s 90th birthday on April 21.

Coun Tracey Dixon, lead member for Area Management and Community Safety at South Tyneside Council, said: “We take the issue of litter and rubbish on our streets very seriously.

“It has a negative impact on people’s perceptions of an area and a detrimental effect on the environment.

“Our street cleansing team works hard to keep South Tyneside as clean and tidy as possible and we do a great deal of work to encourage people to support us and take pride in their local area.”

Joseph Dunlop, restaurant manager of the Newcastle Road brand of Burger King, said: “We’d like to appeal to our customers to dispose of their wrappers in the bins provided on site or to take their rubbish away with them. It is everyone’s responsibility to do what they can to keep the borough clear of rubbish.

John Hodgson, business manager at McDonald’s on Newcastle Road, said: “McDonald’s is proud to be a part of the communities we serve. Giving back is an essential part of the way we operate every day and events like Clean for the Queen can inspire our customers to make small changes that can make a big difference.”

We’d encourage our customers to do what they can to play their part in what should be a great campaign.”

It costs taxpayers almost £1billion each year to clear away the 30 million tonnes of rubbish collected from the UK streets each year. Clean for the Queen aims to educate and tackle the problem of littering nationwide.

To find out more about Clean for the Queen and activities happening across the Borough go to www.cleanforthequeen.co.uk