Say hello to Boris the tractor and his mates – Les the refuse freighter and Gok the street sweeper, all part of a commitment made to reduce the impact on the environment and to produce carbon reduction and to increase the performance in refuse, street cleaning and grounds maintenance.

The sweeper, with its unique brush configuration, powerful suction and large hopper, is suitable for both town-centre and more rural street cleaning jobs, its ultra-tight turning circle enabling it to get to the parts other peers can’t reach…

Later in the year seven new 26 tonne Dennis Eagle vehicles representing a £1.2 million investment will replace the council’s existing fleet which has worked hard over the past 8 years undertaking nearly 22 million bin collections during that time.

The new vehicles will be more manoeuvrable with rear steer capability and they have a narrow body to help with negotiating the streets and country roads of the borough. Each new vehicle will produce less CO2 than the current vehicles with a new Euro 6 compliant engine.

Cllr Yvonne Stevens, portfolio holder for operational services, said: “One of our priorities is to ensure that we begin to reverse the impact on climate change going forward, and with this investment we can do just that. We are looking forward to rolling out the new fleet, helping towards a cleaner environment with fewer emissions

“And finally a clean town and looking after our tax payers money are my priorities”.