AN army of litter pickers took to the streets of Derby yesterday.
Firms in the St Peter's Quarter joined in the tidy-up as part of the business improvement district's efforts to improve the area.
They joined rangers and Derby City Council's Street Pride team for the litter pick.
This was followed by chewing gum removal and deep cleaning of pavements by Street Pride.
The quarterly event is organised to bring businesses together.
Among them was Evans, in St Peter's Street, whose staff are constantly on the lookout for rubbish in and around their entrance.
Staff member Laura Goodband said: "We have always made an effort to keep our area clean and tidy.
"But being part of the St Peter's Quarter business improvement district means we now have a collective focus and have the contacts both with Street Pride through the rangers and with neighbouring businesses to be able to sort out problems if they occur.
"Litter and chewing gum at the entrance is bad for business.
"People often judge a restaurant by the cleanliness of the toilets and the same goes for retailers.
"If outside is dirty, it puts off customers coming in.
"Going outside to clean the pavements and shop fronts at regular times during the day doesn't take long and, since having the business improvement district, which has raised the profile of the importance of street cleanliness, I have noticed that standards have definitely improved."
This was echoed by Carol Bentley at the nearby Ann Summers store. "You wouldn't tolerate rubbish lying around at home, so why would you want it at work?" she asked.
"It's everybody's responsibility to do their bit to keep the areas around their businesses clean and tidy."
And Leah Button, manager at the Body Shop, also in St Peter's Street, added: "The tidy-up is great to remind everyone of the importance of keeping this area looking good.
"Footfall is increasing but it's no good having more visitors if they are then met by litter on the streets.
"As a beauty business, it is vital that we present the right image to our customers, so we make cleanliness outside as much of a priority as we do inside the shop."
