A THROWAWAY comment at the Times' reporter's surgery has highlighted a new Council campaign to deal with messy traders.

One female Chiswick resident, who did not wish to be named, called into last Thursday's surgery to complain about the rubbish piling up outside KFC on Chiswick High Road, discarded by careless customers.

She was disturbed by the large amount of litter swirling around on the pavement, namely food wrappers and drink cartons. She said: "It's horrible and unhealthy. The people who eat in their cars are responsible."

The Council spends around £2.8 million every year on street cleansing throughout the whole borough. As a busy main road, Chiswick High Road has a constant presence of three operatives who clean the pavements and gutters from 8am to 6pm, Monday to Sunday.

Some areas of the street are cleaner than others, depending on the surrounding businesses. The area outside KFC can be particularly messy as customers fail to use the bins provided when they leave the fast food restaurant. The Council's Stupid Waste' campaign has been aimed at such litterbugs by pointing out that they are paying money out of their own pockets via their council tax to have their mess cleaned up after them.

However, according to a Council spokesperson, the litter along Chiswick High Street is predominantly traders' waste. Under the Environmental Protection Act 1991, all businesses are required to make arrangements for their waste collection, whether it is with the local authority or a private collector.

Last year the Council carried out an audit of traders to check that they had a valid trade waste disposal licence. Premises operating without a licence received an initial warning, with the threat of prosecution if the situation wasn't rectified.

In the next few weeks, under the Council's follow-up campaign against untidy traders, Council workers will be patrolling along Chiswick High Road to monitor the current situation. Those businesses who ignored their initial warning will now be liable for prosecution.

Chiswick Area Committee Chairman, Councillor Paul Lynch, supported the initial audit.

He said: "Local businesses have a responsibility to their community just as much as residents, and dumping rubbish on the street is simply unacceptable."