CITY businesses are now banned from leaving bags of waste and rubbish outside Worcester city centre shops and offices overnight.
New rules coming into force today (Tuesday) meaning trade waste can only be left out for collection between 6.30am and 9.30am.
The crackdown has been launched by Worcester City Council to stop the risk of waste bags being pulled open or blown around.
Most businesses have already taken steps to fit in with the new rules, which were approved by the Council in September.
Council chiefs will work closely with businesses that don’t already comply, so that they are fully aware of the rules before any enforcement takes place.
Coun Jabba Riaz, cabinet member for Clean, Green and Leisure Services, said: “With Worcester having recently been praised for its cleanliness and the high quality of the city centre, it’s been gratifying to see city centre businesses pulling together to comply with these rules and support our city.
“We all want to make sure our city centre is just as appealing in the evening, when people are heading to our bars and restaurants, as it is in the daytime.
“And that means not having bags of rubbish sitting outside shop doorways all night.”
Worcester has just reached the top five best town centres in the Great British High Street Awards and earlier this year was named the cleanest city in England in the Provident Personal Credit’s Unbroken Britain survey