Zhenreenah Muhxinga explains why neighbours in one Newham street took to the streets

When litter begins to accumulate in our streets, it then finds its way into the sewers. When litter builds up in the sewers, it can create a blockage.

A build up of litter can also attract rats and other pests that will find a space in our homes and possibly in the water holes, which can lead to flooding – this is a big issue on some streets in Newham.

If there’s a ton of rubbish and fly- tips, bacteria will grow. Unhygienic insects will come out to feast, and the health of the residents will suffer. The rubbish in the streets can also cause accidents on the roads and places full of rubbish look poverty stricken. A cleaner street will give residents a mindset of living a cleaner and healthier life.

Most of us at Maud Road want people to want to live in the neighbourhood and enjoy living there. We want the community to be welcoming to all residents – and stay that way for a lifetime.

The last thing we want is for someone to come into the neighbourhood, purchase a home, and then regret their decision because of how dirty the streets are or the excessive flooding issues. Everyone should recognise that clean streets lead to clean lives.

We know the council is employed to clean the streets, we pay our council tax for this, and residents are complaining. But sometimes we have to take matters into our own hands.

So, in our street, we pooled together, with residents in neighbouring Geere Road, who came out and supported us in cleaning up Maud Road.

We would like to thank all the residents of Geere Road for their support, helping us to keep Maud Road clean.

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