Shocking extent of Sheffield city centre littering revealed as hedges cut back

The embankment on Sheffield Hallam Univeristy’s science park on Paternoster Row used to be covered in greenery, however the bushes were cut down today (December 15) as part of the latest stage of the institution’s redevelopment of the area.

What remains is heaps of rubbish strewn along the length of the embankment, all of which used to be caught up in the branches of the hedges having been thrown in there, out of sight for years.

Councillor Douglas Johnson, of the Sheffield Green Party, said: “This is a striking photo that shows how much rubbish accumulates there.

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"Littering is a scourge that blights our city centre and makes it really unpleasant for a lot of people.

"That stretch of greenery was really important to the biodiversity in the city centre. As well as beer cans in there was all sorts of wildlife in there.

"The greenery is really important in the city centre, otherwise it would just be grey buildings. There is a real shortage of it. We should be treating it well and not just dumping rubbish.”

Councillor Johnson added that while the hedges had to be cut down as part of the redevelopment, a number of trees in the science park were being saved after the Green Party appealed to the univeristy to ensure they were not cut down.

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Sheffield resident Mavis Martin called for the rubbish to be cleaned up.

She said: “All the way up the road, along the verge, it is completely chock-a-block with litter. It is completely covered with all manner of rubbish.

“Not only is this a terrible eyesore but I am convinced it is also a real health hazard. All that rubbish left there will attract rats.

"That street is one of the main routes people take when they arrive at the station and walk into the city.

"I am Sheffield born and bred and when I saw it I was quite upset about it.

"It is proof of a rubbish problem in Sheffield. We get a lot of things right here and I am proud of this city, but there are something that are not done right.

"It is quite outrageous that all that rubbish would be uncovered and left there like that. I don’t want to see that there another day.”

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Sheffield Hallam Univeristy has confirmed that the rubbish will be cleared away on December 16.

Sheffield City Council’s Streets Ahead team said that the rubbish is on Sheffield Hallam Univeristy land and it is therefore the university’s responsibility to ensure it is cleared away.

The £140m Sheffield Hallam University science park is set to be redeveloped over the next three years.

Plans were submitted in summer to demolish the science park, on the left as you walk up Howard Street, and replace it with a business school, teaching kitchens, lecture theatres and a cafe.