Concern over Canal & River Trust plan to remove bins from towpaths

The Leeds and Liverpool Canal towpath, as seen here in Bingley, Bradford, is a popular route for walkers, joggers and cyclists

A council is seeking "urgent discussions" with the Canal & River Trust after a plan was revealed to remove most towpath bins across Yorkshire and the North East.

The charity said it faced "soaring costs" and the move would save money to pay for waterway repairs.

The trust hoped other agencies such as councils could become responsible for providing or maintaining bins.

But Bradford Council described the plan as "a concern" amid its own pressures.

It said cleanliness in the absence of bins would depend on those who walked and cycled on the towpaths carrying litter, or dog mess, away with them.

The charity said it spent £1.4m nationally emptying bins and clearing fly-tipping from canals in 2022.

A statement said the trust already had many miles of canal where it did not provide litter bins, "including many that have achieved Green Flag Award status".

"Where there are proposals to remove bins, we are first seeking local funding options to adequately service the bins and hope that local partners will step up to help."

'Urgent discussions'

A section of the 127-mile (204km) Leeds and Liverpool Canal, with a popular towpath for walkers, joggers and cyclists, runs through the Bradford district.

Bradford Council officers have suggested the local authority might not be able to spare staff to traverse the towpath to empty bins on a regular basis.

"This is obviously of concern to us as it will be to residents so we are seeking urgent discussions with the Canal & River Trust," a spokesperson for the local authority said.

At a recent council meeting, Stuart Russo, a senior technical officer, said the move could put a strain on waste services, which he said were already suffering budget pressures.

"We're happy to look at if we, as a council, can take bins on," he said.

"But if a bin is going to be half an hour down the towpath, I don't think that's something we'll be able to take on."

Marcus Dearden, a Labour councillor for Bingley, said: "People will think these are council bins that are being removed, so it will be us that gets stick from the public."

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