WORRY about vomit and food mess on a Teesside high street has seen pleas for more street cleaning.

Lockable bins have been installed in parts of Yarm to reduce problems with rubbish in the town.

But there were some concerns about the state of streets outside some stores aired at Tuesday’s town council meeting.

Cllr Pam Smailes said the “filthy” state of pavements where people were eating was a concern.

“Near Costa Coffee is horrendous,” she added.

“Then you get people on weekends being sick and it’s not being cleaned away.

“For a business, you’d think they’d want to keep the front of their business clean.

“It’s something that needs to be brought up.”

Yarm, Eaglescliffe, and Preston Park are to receive £20m towards projects from the Government’s “Levelling Up” fund.

Former mayor Peter Monck revealed he’d met senior Stockton Council officers and Stockton South MP Matt Vickers to discuss what the money would go towards in Yarm.

As well as work on cycleways, he added the “whole High Street” would be repaved.

Extra money would also go towards the new town hall heritage centre.

However, later in the meeting, Cllr Monck wasn’t yet sure whether the cobbles would see work.

“We didn’t get into that detail but there may well be funding available,” he added.

Acting chairman Cllr John Coulson believed the authorities would be “keen to keep the streets clean” when they were repaved.

Meanwhile, Cllr Smailes told the chamber she’d asked for a “power jet” wash of Yarm streets, similar to those seen in Stockton town centre.

“At least it would make it look clean and get rid of some of the dirt,” she added.

After the meeting, Cllr Mike Smith, Stockton Council’s cabinet member for environment and transport, confirmed a jet wash could be arranged.

He said: “We have a thorough street cleansing regime in place for Yarm High Street, which also has its own street cleaner.

“And of course we can also arrange for jet washing to be carried out as required.

“If you have any concerns please contact the Care For Your Area team on 01642 391959.”

Costa Coffee was also disappointed by the mess.

A spokesperson for the chain said: “It’s always disappointing to see our packaging being littered in the local community.

“As part of our commitment to reduce waste and increase recycling in the communities we serve, we encourage customers to return used coffee cups, regardless of brand, to our stores for recycling.

“We also welcome customers to bring their own reusable cups and encourage this through our Costa Club scheme, where members can earn an extra “green bean” every time they purchase their favourite hand-crafted drink in a reusable cup.”

“Spot on”

Earlier in the meeting, town clerk Juliet Johnson said Stockton Council was swapping problematic bins in Central Street with “more mobile” receptacles with lockable lids to prevent dumping.

Cllr Patrick Morton said problems tended to come through what the bins attracted.

“As soon as you’ve got bins there, people will leave stuff,” he added.

“Also, I’ve also seen people peeing against the bins in Central Street. They’re going down there, having a quick pee and god knows what else.

“It attracts additional problems if we don’t get it resolved.”

Last month, town councillors suggested pavement markings for the town amid some complaints about restaurants and cafés straying with their tables and chairs.

Cllr Christopher Neil said markings he’d seen in Leeds had been “spot on” for solving problems.

“If you’re an inch over, there is someone from their council making you move it,” he added

“Also on their trade waste bins, they’re very strict.

“If you had what had been happening on Low Church Wynd or Central Street happening in Leeds, the bins would have been taken away and the proprietor told to put it where it’s designated, or don’t have it at all.”

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