It is a statutory duty for Network Rail clean up litter on their land

However under a very busy footbridge in Spalding they have failed to do so. This bridge connects the Spalding town centre with the Wygate area of Spalding and is used by families and individuals of all ages.

Unfortunately it has also at times seen antisocial behaviour in the form of street drinking which has resulted in a build up of cans and bottles over a number of years. Spalding has had a litter problem in recent years and volunteers are now making efforts to address this.

However they cannot access railway land and as a consequence the years of accumulation of litter sends a message that people do not care about their environment. In 2012 Network Rail made efforts to clear this site and sought to work with British Transport Police to tackle those responsible. Calls were also made for additional litter bins.

Whilst efforts were made to improve the bridge there has been a failure to maintain the land on a regular basis.

The aims of this petition is to send a message that the majority of people who use this bridge do care about the environment and want the site cleared up and regularly maintained.

I call on Network Rail to revisit the site and restore the bridge to its immediate post 2012 state and ideally enhance the area beyond that state including a redesign of the path to the bridge to take away a current blindspot.

I call on Network Rail to commit check the site for litter on an annual basis and whenever they have engineers in the area.

I call on British Transport Police to seek to identify the perpetrators and help educate them that the behaviour is unacceptable.

I call on Lincolnshire County Council and/or South Holland District Council to install litter bins on the town centre side of the bridge and to explore improved street lighting.

I call on all responsible bodies to provide signage to deter littering in the area to include a contact number for people to report instances of antisocial behaviour and littering.