News

The Borough of Poole is urging local people to cast a vote in a free phone poll to win the chance of getting an area of the town cleaned up.

Next month offenders from 10 areas around the country will be cleaning up areas nominated by local people as part of their community punishment. Nationally offenders complete over 5.5 million hours of compulsory unpaid work each year, and this month the National Probation Service are asking members of the public to nominate an area deserving of this resource.

The Borough of Poole has nominated Turlin Moor Nature Reserve for the vote as a site deserving of special attention. The coastal habitat is a site of significant wildlife interest and is widely used for informal recreation such as, bird watching and boat mooring. In recent years the site has become spoilt through the illegal disposal of waste and general vandalism.

If successful proposed works would include fly tip clearance, removal of vandalised boats and general land management improvement works. Supervised by the Probation Service, this compulsory unpaid work would be completed by offenders enabling them to 'pay back' their crimes by making a real contribution to improving the lives of local communities.

Councillor Don Collier, Cabinet Portfolio Holder for the Environment, Borough of Poole, said: "This is a great opportunity to enhance this beautiful area by combining resources with the Probation Service we will be able to make a real difference to the quality of the local environment for everyone to once again enjoy."

The Borough of Poole need your votes to ensure this project beats off the competition from neighbouring authorities. To have your say simply call 0800 072 4828 and add 47 as the extension of the project. Voters have until Friday 25^th February to register.