As part of its drive to “improve the cleaness of your streets and help make the area an even better place to live work and visit for everyone” the council has asked me to display the above poster.

This draws attention to a new publicity campaign against littering. The fine has been increased to £75 and this is being backed up by posters, fliers and radio adverts. There don’t appear to be any extra resources for actual street cleaning however.

To report litter, fly-tipping or grafitti email councilconnect@bathnes.gov.uk or call 394041.

The contested footpath between Claverton Down and Combe Down has finally been confirmed by the Planning Inspector.

AQ78, from Widcombe Hill to North Road (Combe Down) has existed as a path for hundreds of years, but when the council tried to legally record it the landowner for part objected to their proposed width. At the Widcombe Hill end the path had been up to 7m wide, but the landowner erected a fence restricting public access to a narrower 3m width.

After a public enquiry earlier this year, and now a further exchange of evidence, the inspector has ruled that the council was correct and that the width of the footpath is “generally 3.8 to 6 metres, up to 7 metres”.

It is now clear that the fence restricts access to land which the public has a legal right of access to. The fence will have to be taken down and I have requested that B&NES take enforcement action.

While no one has yet been brave enough to tackle the five derelict allotments at the Canal Gardens site, B&NES council has at least cut the grass on the Lime Grove playground.

I asked for this to be cut a few months ago and, for the first time in three years, it has been mown. Just as the derelict plots are a habitiat for weeds and pests in the allotment site, the school playing fields were full of grass seed preparing to blow over the fence. A well maintained site is, of course, much more marketable for the council which is trying to sell the school land.

With the council finally tackling the allotment waiting list, is will anyone on it prepared to tackling the overgrown plots?

The first public recycling bins on the streets of Bath have been installed on Bathwick Hill.

Cllr Armand Edwards has funded the bins from his devolved funding for pocal projects. There are three bins; by St. Mary’s, Tesco and a third planned for the Cleveland Walk junction; they take paper, bottles & cans plus normal waste.

There have been recycling bins in the Parade Gardens park for several years as part of a pilot project but this appears to have stalled. There are also recycling bins in several locations on the university campus.

Many cities around the world have been using public recycling bins for years and now our part of Bath has caught up.

The planning inspector responsible for determining the width of AQ78 – the Combe Down to Claverton Down footpath – has recieved the case submissions.

This next public enquiry will be conducted by exchange of letters, rather than the public hearing style used at the Community Hall for the first attempt. The council has re-submitted their evidence about the width of the footpath from historic maps. The objector now accepts these, put has drawn attention to gates along the path shown on some records.

This continuing dispute means that the council will not repair the muddy path until the matter is settled. Cllr Edwards had offered funding for materials from his devolved budget and the Student Union President offered to organise a volunteer action day to fix the path. BathNES council refused these offers.

Quarry Rock Gardens has been in the news a little lately, first in the Chronicle and then on BBC Points West.

The static home caravan site houses 90 residents aged 50+ at the top of Widcombe Hill. Being a privately run site it is not eligible for council gritting (not that many other residential roads have been gritted either!), but the owner of the site has not made any provision for snow and ice. Consequently many residents are housebound and have been for the past week.

I went up to Quarry Rock this morning to check that residents were alright and was pleased to see that most were able to drive out or walk to the bus stop – carefully – and that neighbours were looking out for each other.

However, I was not alone – the fire brigade had also come up to help! With few fire to attend in the cold and wet, Bath Blue Watch drove two of their rescue tenders up to Quarry Rock to dig the residents out. I explained some of the problems to the crew then picked up a broom to help out.

Suitably inspired, my flatmate and I spend another hour that afternoon clearing the pavement outside our home on Bathwick Hill.

Continuing my occassional series of cheery photos, I present the moon, rising above Widcombe.

This one is taken from my flat, as this week I have been at home with mumps.

A Horse Chestnut in Cleveland Walk has been given an extra few months thanks to a bird’s nest in the trunk.

The council decided to take down the tree after judging that it was in a dangerously poor state. The branches were removed in August, minumising the risk.

However, the tree surgeon discovered a bird’s nest in a hollow at the top of the main stem. The Arboricultural Officer (tree expert) decided to leave the trunk intact until the eggs have hatched and the chicks flown the nest. She expects the remainder to be felled in October.

Replacement trees will be planted this winter along the verge of Cleveland Walk.