Dramatic scenes as Harrogate BID's street cleaning crew power wash town centre for Christmas

The hardy cleaning crew has been steam cleaning and power washing ‘grot spots’ across the town centre, in darkness as well as light.

With just a few weeks until the start of this year’s collaborative ‘Destination Christmas’ campaign - featuring the return of the Candy Cane Express, Christmas Fayre, shop window competition, observation wheel, ice rink and free parking, among other things - the business organisation is again pulling out all the stops so that the town looks at its welcoming best.

Areas the cleaning crew are targeting include Parliament Street, Cambridge Crescent, Oxford Street, James Street, John Street, Albert Street and Station Square.

The work of the cleaning team, from UK Nationwide Cleaning, compliments the efforts of Street Ranger, Chris Ashby, whose daily regime includes power-washing, weeding, painting and litter-picking.

Harrogate BID chair Sara Ferguson said: “With the countdown to Christmas well underway, we want Harrogate to be looking at its best.

“Using low water volume, high pressure steam cleaning, they are working evenings this week tackling high footfall areas.

"With Armistice Day and Remembrance Sunday just days away, the team are also cleaning paths and street furniture around the town centre war memorial.

“In our first business survey, our Levy payers put cleanliness of the town high on the list of priorities for the BID to tackle."