YOU may have noticed that Thurrock seems to be getting scruffier and scruffier.
It look like residents have become so exasperated that they have taken to cutting the grass on their own.
At least that is what a photograph of two people mowing the grass at Blackshots (on Saturday morning)seems to show.
There are other photographs that show the grass has been left to grow waist high.
This is just adding to the woes of the residents of Blackshots and Stifford Clays who feel they are under siege from anti-social behaviour (aka crime) and a general sense of neglect.
There is an emergency meeting (we believe) on Monday July 18th (7.30pm) at Headon Hall to address these issues.
In case you missed it, the new Tory regime at Thurrock Council have pledged to put at least £300,000 into matters related to cleaning up the borough. It looks like a mighty big promise for a mighty big problem.
There have alway seemed to be problems with litter in Thurrock but over the last two years it seems to have got worse and worse.
The ruling Labour administration at the council reacted to steep cuts from central government by cutting back on resources at the environment departments.
But when certain areas (Grays High Street) looked extremely scruffy they admitted that perhaps they had cut too deeply into that department.
There was a increased presence of grass cutting etc but by that time it was like the genie was out of the bottle and everywhere Thurrock residents looked, they saw a scruffy Thurrock.
The Conservatives took over in May and have now made it one of their key areas of focus. They have pledged to invest over £300,000 on more staff and services.
And yet, it appears that Thurrock seems to have got even scruffier.
It looks like it is going to take a real effort to clean the borough.
At the same time, Thurrock my have more than it fair share of residents who think it is perfectly acceptable to drop litter. They do it as naturally as breathing.
