Third World West Acton?

Littering, bad driving and anti-social behaviour plague locals

Complaints from members of CARA (Creffield Area Residents' Association) and other residents in the West Acton part of South Acton Ward have prompted one of the Labour councillors, John Gallagher, to send an exasperated email to Ealing Council's Conservative leader, Jason Stacey, and the executive directors of Environment and Regeneration.

One resident described the area as like a third world country with the amount of bad driving, littering and anti-social behaviour. Another one said she could not blame motorists for reckless driving if the council would not put in adequate deterrents to bad driving. A third one complained he had called the council three times to remove fly-tipped furniture. Both a resident and a non-resident cyclist complained Birch Grove must be the worst road surface in all Ealing.

Acton councillors representing all three parties have unanimously passed resolutions at the now-abolished Acton Area Committee instructing officers to improve traffic precautions along Twyford Avenue and put a crossing at Tesco's on Uxbridge Road. The three ward councillors, Liz Brookes, John Gallagher and Yvonne Johnson nominated Birch Grove as one of Cllr Stacey's special "showcase streets". Junior officers have spent hours trying to resolve fly-tipping problems.

"The Leader of the Council and the senior officers should explain to council-tax and business rate payers why these things have not been done", said Cllr Gallagher. "If it is because they have not got the money, let them admit it; if it is simply inefficiency, they must sort it out."

August 1, 2008