An agreement has been reached to bring in a litter enforcement officer to help clean up the town.

A plan has been drawn up between Ross Town Council and Herefordshire Council at a meeting on Monday night, to kick off a six-month trial which would bring an enforcement officer to improve cleanliness in the town and crack down on litter louts.

During the meeting Cllr Louis Stark made it clear that this scheme was being funded by Ross Town Council taking on the cost which both Herefordshire Council and council contractors Balfour Beatty have failed to do.

Mayor Ed O’Driscoll, who was chairing the meeting, compared the situation to how the town council has pledged £16,000 towards reinstating the bus route from Ross-on-Wye to Ledbury via Newent, where the town council felt compelled to help public transport users who were left isolated—and in some cases unable to work—by cuts to Stagecoach routes.

He said both Herefordshire Council and the UK Government had offered nothing in the way of financial help.

Talks are being held with Ledbury council for beyond the six-month trail, should it be successful, that a full-time enforcement could be funded between an agreement between Ross and Ledbury councils, however talks are in the early stages and will rely on the outcome of the six-month trial.