Residents and business leaders in Southend were urged to help blow away the cobwebs and join in with the council's first spring clean campaign.

The week-long spruce-up was launched to get the town ready for the summer season and council departments have teamed up with businesses, schools and residents in the big push.

Lib Dem Leigh councillor Peter Wexham gave his thumbs up to the scheme, which runs until Thursday.

Mr Wexham, chairman of the environmental sub-committee, said: "We are committed to making sure that the Southend environment is pleasant for residents, businesses and visitors alike.

"We hope that people throughout the borough will join in with our spring clean campaign to make it a success."

Bosses at BT and Telewest have pledged to tidy up their telephone boxes.

Schools across the town have been making sure their land is spick and span in a best kept school contest.

Borough residents are also being asked to play a part in the initiative by claiming a pack of free garden waste sacks with special vouchers in the council's newspaper Civic News.

There will also be a voucher in Civic News offering a reduction on the bulky waste service collection run by Cory Environmental.

Other ideas lined up include:

Cleaning and painting street furniture in the High Street;

Installing new dolphin recycling bins for aluminium drinks cans on the seafront;

Cutting grass verges, tidying planters and clearing seafront paddling pools.

Flower power - Mayor Nora Goodman gets a hand from Jack Cooper at the launch of the campaign

Picture: STEPHEN LLOYD

Converted for the new archive on 19 November 2001. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.