Woman Appalled That Streets Of Thailand Were Cleaner Than Uk Launches One-woman Clean-up Campaign

[mrtoad]

Woman appalled that streets of Thailand were cleaner than UK launches one-woman clean-up campaign

By Daily Mail Reporter

22nd July 2009

A pensioner, embarrassed to discover that the streets of Thailand were cleaner than her home town, has launched a one-woman campaign to clean up her local streets.

Sandra White spends three hours every morning patrolling the streets of Spalding, Lincolnshire, cleaning litter, and even paid a local window cleaner to wash shelters in the town's bus station.

The 67-year-old, who doesn't earn a penny for her efforts, has set her sights on returning the town's streets to the condition they were in when she first moved there in the 1960s.

She told how she was embarrassed to discover that the streets in Thailand were much cleaner than those in the UK, when she visited the country on holiday.

'I once went on holiday to Thailand and to be honest I was embarrassed by how clean the streets were compared to England,' she said today.

'I know people wonder why I do it, but I just like a job to be done properly.

'When we came to Spalding 40 years ago it immaculate, but it isn't the same now.

'I clean out the gutters and the grass verges, it can be a horrible job with everything from urine to half empty beer can.

'But it is amazing what you find when your a cleaning streets, I've found everything from money to unopened packages that have been stolen from shops.

'I joke that you could live off the streets working from the gutter upwards.'

Local window cleaner Paddy Durham told how Mrs White paid him £70 from her own pocket to wash shelters in the town's bus station.

He said: 'Sandra is out there 365 days a year for three hours a day cleaning the streets, picking up rubbish and just generally tidying up the verges.

'Really she deserves some sort of medal for keeping the town so clean.

'She started off by paying me £70 to clean the bus station, and has paid me another £10 to clean up the shelter outside the cemetery.

'I don't really know why she does it. She just hates to see Spalding in a state, and will go up and down the road all day.

'I think her husband just goes along with it but sometimes you see him helping out.'

Prior to her retirement, Mrs White ran a gardening business in Spalding, famous for its tulip parade, with her husband Tony, and once won the prestigious hanging basket competition at Hampton Court.

In the last six months alone she has collected 500 bags of bottles, cans and fast food debris. She is now looking for volunteers to help with her campaign.

'I think it needs someone like me to stand up like this.

'With the credit crunch and all these people out of work you would have though people could spare a couple of hours a day.

'It is not enough for just me to be going round Spalding keeping it tidy, I can't do it all on my own.

'I would like to see the council do a lot more to get local people involved. We need more people coming forward to do their bit.

'The council street cleaners are fine, but they can't do it all on their own, and there should more of them.

'I can go home after three hours but when I look at the street cleaners they don't smile. They must be depressed because every time they set somewhere clean, it is a mess the next day.

'I don't blame the council because I think the street cleaners are very good. There are only two or three and they work their socks off.

'I would also like to see the council introduce one of these no-alcohol zones, because that is one of the biggest areas of causing litter and other problems,' she added.

Mrs White insisted that she will continue to clean seven days a week for the foreseeable future.

'I've had problems with my back and an eye infection, but I'll keep on going.'

Spalding councillor Gary Taylor described Sandra's work as 'quite remarkable.'

'It everybody spends a few minutes doing their own bit then it goes along way.

'If people see a piece of litter then pick it up. rather than ring the council.'

I wonder if the Thai Govt will pick up on this one.

[Costas2008]

Woman appalled that streets of Thailand were cleaner than UK launches one-woman clean-up campaign

She must have gone to Spec Savers!!!!!!

Congratulations to the woman for what she is doing, but I don't think she had a good look around in Thailand.

[Thongkorn]

Woman appalled that streets of Thailand were cleaner than UK launches one-woman clean-up campaign

She must have gone to Spec Savers!!!!!!

Congratulations to the woman for what she is doing, but I don't think she had a good look around in Thailand.

I agree where has she been , She Must have gone out at night,

[garyh]

Maybe she was in Taiwan?

[mca]

She should visit the soi behind my house sometime. It looks like a dustcart ran over a landmine on some days. Or in rainy season see the poor buggers in fire brigade frantically clearing dropped rubbish out of the drains trying to stop the road from flooding. Unsuccessfully I might add.

Edited July 22, 2009 by mca

[mrtoad]

Woman appalled that streets of Thailand were cleaner than UK launches one-woman clean-up campaign

She must have gone to Spec Savers!!!!!!

Congratulations to the woman for what she is doing, but I don't think she had a good look around in Thailand.

Maybe she bought a pair of Saffron Tinted Specs, I hear they are readily available these days.

[ashacat]

If you wander around the 'shopping' area of Bangkok (Siam etc) which is where alot of tourists visit, it is immaculate, way cleaner than any UK city. Friends and family visiting me here have also commented on the cleanliness too.

Edited July 23, 2009 by ashacat

[Rimmer]

She must have been in Singapore, many people from Europe and US think that all SEA countries are one and the same.

[mrtoad]

If you wander around the 'shopping' area of Bangkok (Siam etc) which is where alot of tourists visit, it is immaculate, way cleaner than any UK city. Friends and family visiting me here have also commented on the cleanliness too.

Hmm, Siam yes it is very clean, however Sukhumvit and Silom are pretty grim. On the whole, I'd still say that the UK is generally cleaner than Thailand.

[bulmercke]

There are no litter bins in the main tourist areas of BKK.

The Thai authorities are supposedly afraid of muslim separatists placing explosive devices in liiter bins in these areas.

LOL.

[Travel2003]

There are no litter bins in the main tourist areas of BKK.

The Thai authorities are supposedly afraid of muslim separatists placing explosive devices in liiter bins in these areas.

LOL.

Not quite correct.

Yes they are afraid of explosives in the bins.

The autihorities placed bins with blank (see through) plastic bags inside, to be able to see what are being put inside the bins.

You will most likely see them in and around the air ports.

[Travel2003]

Woman appalled that streets of Thailand were cleaner than UK launches one-woman clean-up campaign

She must have gone to Spec Savers!!!!!!

Congratulations to the woman for what she is doing, but I don't think she had a good look around in Thailand.

Agree.

I have been a lot of times to UK, and there is no way Thailand has (in general) cleaner streets.

It makes me wonder what dirty little willage she comes from.

[Cobalt60]

Dementia eh, such a cruel affliction.

[DarloKnight]

I read this topic last night and driving to work this morning I took more notice of the streets and I can't believe what the women as reported. I don't come from a posh area of the UK but an old mining community and I'm not putting Thailand down but the streets where I come from are cleaner, I think the poor old dear is deluded and as nothing better to do with her time, but at least she is doing some good for her community!

[Electra]

Go to any town centre anywhere in Britain on any weekend morning and you will be amazed at the sheer cornucopia of vomit strewn detritus that proliferates. Go to any city environs at any time and you will see just how scummy the denizens now are.

Aldershot at any time is a sinkhole of despair commemorated by filth and disposible food cartons that proves the thesis British society at the lower end is beyond redemption.

There is nothing in the lower Sukhumvit sois to compare with the urban degradation that is Britain.

Britain is a cesspit, the British mere parasites feeding off the filth in comparison.

And I haven't even begun to mention Newport, South Wales.

Bangkok is bliss in comparison.

[Cobalt60]

I cant recall walking down any UK street and having to step over large cockroaches or seeing rats scurrying away into holes in the pavement.

The Bangkok pavements or sidewalks are a physical hazard to life and limb and the small side Soi are often dumps for all sort of rubbish, no comparison to UK, she is just a silly old girl getting some publicity.

Edited July 23, 2009 by Cobalt60

[Lickey]

Go to any town centre anywhere in Britain on any weekend morning and you will be amazed at the sheer cornucopia of vomit strewn detritus that proliferates. Go to any city environs at any time and you will see just how scummy the denizens now are.

Aldershot at any time is a sinkhole of despair commemorated by filth and disposible food cartons that proves the thesis British society at the lower end is beyond redemption.

There is nothing in the lower Sukhumvit sois to compare with the urban degradation that is Britain.

Britain is a cesspit, the British mere parasites feeding off the filth in comparison.

And I haven't even begun to mention Newport, South Wales.

Bangkok is bliss in comparison.

And dont forget, Spalding has been re-named, Spaldingrad, & Wisbech, Wisbechistan, due to all the cheap Polish/Latvivian labour fruit picking now, so they get good money and litter the streets with the left-overs, all thanks to the EC,

So why dont you leave?

[Electra]

I cant recall walking down any UK street and having to step over large cockroaches or seeing rats scurrying away into holes in the pavement.

The Bangkok pavements or sidewalks are a physical hazard to life and limb and the small side Soi are often dumps for all sort of rubbish, no comparison to UK, she is just a silly old girl getting some publicity.

Obviously you have never been to any green area adjacent to any airport complex or other place of public congregation in the silent hours in the UK otherwise you would have not offered such hogwash. Rats in the UK now outnumber humans and the roach thing can only increase as summers increase in heat and humidity. If Britain didn't have a winter it's festering filth would be much more apparent. Obviously, you are not employed in public health in the UK.

The Brits are really terribly dirty, almost indefensibly so. If it were not the for the ever increasing cost of public sanitation paid by the upper end of society the untermensch of Britain would have drowned in its ordure years ago.

The market area around On Nut is a paragon of cleanliness in comparison and achieves this in comparison to say Soho with a fraction of the budget.

The Thai work miracles in comparison but then they do have a certain amount of pride in their communities in Bangkok which is not reflected in Britain, presumably because a cohesive spirit binding the disparate polyglot society simply does not exist.

[Lickey]

Best to move this to the Bkk forum then!!

[JimsKnight]

She should visit the soi behind my house sometime. It looks like a dustcart ran over a landmine on some days. Or in rainy season see the poor buggers in fire brigade frantically clearing dropped rubbish out of the drains trying to stop the road from flooding. Unsuccessfully I might add.

She has a point and although the towns and cities are often cleaner I've seen utter trash litter the countryside where locals just dump it whilly nilly.