NETWORK Rail is facing a string of Litter Abatement Orders following an initiative to clean up railway property by the Campaign to Protect Rural England.
The CPRE is encouraging its members to take action, led by the author and broadcaster Bill Bryson.
Mr Bryson, who was born and brought up in the American state of Iowa, has written one major book and many shorter articles about Britain, where he lived for more than twenty years. At one time he worked for a local newspaper in Dorset and later for The Times.
He has often expressed great affection for the British Isles, and now leads the CPRE as its president.
But he is critical of the railway’s record in keeping its property litter-free, saying: “This is not a complicated or controversial issue. Organisations responsible for public land are required to keep it clear of litter. If they’re not taking this responsibility seriously, we all have the power to compel them to do so.
“Railway operators and Network Rail are not the only offenders, but they are responsible for far too much uncollected litter. The first impression for a visitor arriving in a town is often formed by their view from a train carriage, and it is a disgrace that that view is so often a degraded and dirty one that suggests a lack of care or pride in the area.”
Mr Bryson says he will take action over the alleged state of railway property in Cambridgeshire, while other CPRE campaigners are poised to apply for Abatement Orders in several other places, including London Bridge, Ainsdale on Merseyside and St Austell in Cornwall.
Network Rail has already had some discussions with the CPRE, and said it was surprised by the Campaign's latest moves.
In a statement, the company explained: ‘We appreciate the concerns of CPRE, but we are surprised by their plans to encourage litter abatement notices to be served upon us. As well as joining us in support of the new Love Where You Live Campaign and following our meeting with CPRE in the summer of last year, we asked to speak to them again but the CPRE has not given us a date.
‘As one of Britain’s biggest landowners we remove thousands of tonnes of litter every year. If reported by the public, we aim to remove litter within 20 days.
‘Our dedicated maintenance teams regularly remove litter as part of their day to day responsibilities and we work closely with our contractors and projects to keep the areas in which they are working free of litter.
‘We are also proud to be a founding member of the Litter Challenge Group and work closely with DEFRA and Keep Britain Tidy.’
The situation on the railway can be complex. Although Network Rail is always the ground landlord, nearly all National Rail stations are leased and managed by franchise-holding operators. Station staff keep platforms, approaches and concourses clean, but are no longer allowed to clear up the tracks on the grounds of safety.