Ilkley'S fight to have sponsored litter bins removed from The Grove will continue, despite council moves to further embrace the scheme.

Since the advert-laden bins first appeared in Ilkley back in January, they have met with varying degrees of hostility. The most common complaint is they are totally out of character for a conservation area.

Coun Kate Brown, chairman of the parish council, said she had been told an internal Bradford Council investigation was taking place about the issue of the bins in Ilkley, however she had not received an assurance that they would eventually be removed.

Bradford cleansing officers say the advertising deal with London-based Trash Media Plc, will help the council provide a high quality service it might otherwise struggle to achieve because of a lack of money.

Ray Garland, senior cleansing officer for Bradford Council, said: "Trash Media's offer enables us to provide a high quality community service that we would otherwise struggle to provide within the limitations of our budget."

"The opportunity to create additional

revenue and provide businesses with an effective communication tool within the community makes the offer particularly attractive," he said.

Ilkley district councillor Anne Hawkesworth said she was unhappy the bins had been placed in a conservation area and that the businesses promoted on the bins were not even Ilkley-based ones.

The Ilkley Business Forum has described the bins as unwanted 'clutter' and demanded their immediate removal until the matter is resolved. The Ilkley Tourist Management committee is also unhappy with the bins.

Parish councillor Amanda Clarke told colleagues at the March meeting of the parish council, even Ilkley's animals were disgusted by the bins.

She described how she had witnessed a dog relieving itself against a bin covered by a pet advertisement. "I thought it was poetic justice," she said.

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