12:02pm Thursday 1st November 2007
By Andy Whelan
A council crack squad which launched a secret mission to expose the worst cigarette litter louts have unearthed the worst offenders - their own colleagues.
Brighton and Hove City Council's Cityclean workers have created a league table of the best and worst establishments for cleaning up after smokers.
Officers inspected 17 randomly chosen venues in Brighton as part of the 'Scores on the Floors' scheme.
Each building was rated good, requires attention or unacceptable according to the state of the surrounding area.
And now the council has been told that its Bartholomew House offices in Bartholomew Square have fallen into the worst category.
Other unacceptable premises include the Freebutt in Phoenix Place, The Sussex Yeoman in Guildford Road, The Evening Star in Surrey Street, and the Fishbowl and Spearmint Rhino, both in East Street.
Good buildings include the Cricketers in Black Lion Street, Old Orleans in Prince Albert Street, The Roundhill Tavern in Ditchling Road, and Brighton Town Hall and Priory House, both in Bartholomew Square.
Acceptable building include the Brighton Centre in Kings Road, The Eddy Public House, in Upper Gloucester Road, The Prince Albert in Trafalgar Street, and Pressure Point in Richmond Parade.
A Keep Britain Tidy survey has revealed a 43 percent rise in the amount of cigarette butts dropped on pavements since the smoking ban was introduced.
It also revealed cigarette ends now account for 40 percent of the country's litter and around 200 million butts are dropped every day in the UK amounting to 122 tonnes of rubbish.
A Keep Britain Tidy spokeswoman said: "Councils should be leading by example so others can follow.
"If councils are asking businesses to provide provisions for cigarette buts then they should be doing it as well.
"Businesses should take responsibility and provide provisions to ensure their premises are kept clean."
A council spokesman said the authority has installed more ashtrays and introduced regular cleaning checks since the inspection.
Councillor Geoffrey Theobald, chairman of the environment committee, said: "While fully supportive of the smoking ban I have been appalled at the increase in discarded cigarette ends on our streets and outside venues, and the reluctance of businesses to do anything about it.
"This crackdown by Cityclean enforcement officers will tackle the problem head on, while ensuring that responsible businesses are congratulated.
"Whilst I would have hoped that all council buildings received a (good) rating, I am happy to report that measures are already in place to ensure that the area outside Bartholomew House meets the same high standards as our other council buildings."
Venues found to be unacceptable on two occasions will be issued with a statutory Street Litter Control Notice which can lead to £100 fines for every breach.
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