Forty-one properties in Cobridge cleared waste from their gardens after receiving formal warnings ahead of a multi-agency clean-up, Stoke-on-Trent City Council has said.
The council's environmental crime team identified 96 properties with garden waste before the neighbourhood Day of Action in mid-August. The remaining 55 properties received further warnings in preparation for possible enforcement action.
Teams from the council, Staffordshire Police and the DVLA worked alongside local charities, community groups and children during the operation.
Activity covered streets, alleyways, drains, gardens, parks, street furniture and other open spaces across Cobridge.
Shops, park entrances and empty homes visited
The council said its waste services team visited 42 shops with an environmental enforcement officer to offer guidance on waste management.
Parks staff cut back and cleaned the boundary of Cobridge Park, while two new double bins were installed on Elder Road near the park entrances. Highways workers also used a gully tanker to clean drains in targeted streets.
The DVLA carried out a walkabout focused on untaxed vehicles. Council housing officers visited several known empty homes, including three properties subject to prohibition orders restricting or preventing their use.
Fly-tipped waste was removed from roads and alleyways. Police Community Support Officers, police cadets and local children also took part in a litter pick.
Council says education may be followed by enforcement
Councillor Duncan Walker, the council's cabinet member for safe and resilient communities and housing, said the operation combined practical clean-up work with advice for residents and businesses.
“Our focus is on keeping the community safe, clean and welcoming through education, engagement and, if required, enforcement.”
Sergeant Nathan Moghaddam, from Stoke-on-Trent north local policing team, described the day as a successful partnership operation.
“Officers assisted colleagues from Stoke-on-Trent City Council with an environmental clean-up of local areas whilst engaging with local residents.
“We will continue to work alongside local partners to make Stoke-on-Trent a safer place for people to live and work.”
The figures and quotations in this report were supplied directly to Local Gazette by Stoke-on-Trent City Council on 3 September 2026. The accompanying image is a Local Gazette editorial illustration and does not show the event itself.
