Whilst Ross's vibrant range of independent shops has been praised by tourists, some have levelled criticism about the state of the high street.

Sue Williams of Gallery 54 has been working out ways to tackle this issue.

She told the Gazette: "What we've had recently, is a number of tourists who say; 'We love Ross, we like the independent shops, but we think it's looking really shabby and dirty.'" She added: "The reason for that has nothing to do with the guys who work for town council. Our two guys, they're brilliant."

Ms Williams wrote to Ross Town Council on behalf of Ross Business Association to explain the situation. She has suggested to a number of councillors that the town council could hire one or two people to make use of the old dustcart - owned by the council - to go around the town making sure the streets are as clean possible.

She shared her experiences as an ex-teacher, she said that when her school took over the catering and the cleaning in house, the standards were raised, improving the sense of school pride. She believes the same can be applied to Ross town centre. She added that this approach would also allow a flexible and faster approach to improving the town's cleanliness. The town council have not - as of yet - taken up her ideas.

Ms Williams is concerned that the state of the high street is affecting the competitive advantage Ross has against other market towns in the area such as Monmouth and Ledbury. She's proud of the number of successful independent shops Ross has to offer and maintaining clean streets are a necessity to make the most of showcasing this.

Cigarette ends are the main contributor to the unkempt appearances, rather than general litter such as crisp packets.

Ms Williams has been asked by town traders to raise the issue at the Annual Parish Council meeting this Monday (April 25) at the Larruperz centre. Traders and town centre business are additionally concerned about vandalism and a number of attempted burglaries in the town centre and will be meeting with the police prior to the parish meeting to discuss what can be done.