Over 50 bags of rubbish were cleared from a Workington cycleway during a community clear-up day.
A 2023 project to make the Line, which runs from the town centre to Moorclose, a safer route was given £47,875 by the Government.
The Office of the Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner had placed a bid for the cash from the Home Office’s Safer Streets fund.
The initial project was to reduce anti-social behaviour and violence against women and girls in the area after it was highlighted as an unsafe hotspot by women and girls aged 16 to 20.
The funding helped cut back vegetation to increase visibility and reduce any hiding spots for potential offenders, support community litter picks and larger fly-tipping issues were dealt with. It was completed last year.
In April, Allerdale Local Focus Hub led a Community Clear Up day to reach out to the community to ask for feedback, clean up the local area and take action to address any issues raised by residents.
Alongside original partners, Groundwork Trust and Workington Foundation and local residents joined in on the day and over 50 bags of rubbish were collected.
The art wall at the beginning of The Line is continually evolving with the work of local artists Beard Synergy and Twiggy and 11 months have passed without any graffiti.
The team said they received positive feedback from residents with perception around anti-social behaviour and drug-related activity dropping in the area – the main issue reported was littering.
Along The Line and the areas surrounding it, Cumbria Constabulary have seen a decrease by 5.6% in relation to violence against women and girls offences (217 down to 205 reports) and a decrease in anti-social behaviour by 32.7% (55 down to 37 reports) compared to the same period the year before.
There has been an increase in drug offences by 64% (25 reports up from 16).
Cumbria’s Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner, David Allen, said: “I’m incredibly pleased to see partners and volunteers continuing to take care of The Line following on from the Safer Streets Five funding.
“We all deserve to live in a welcoming and safer community and by working together we can ensure everyone can continue to enjoy the area around us.
“The statistics and public feedback clearly highlight that simple steps can have an effect on criminality and ASB in our communities.
“Although the rise in drugs reports may seem negative, it means that the public are reporting more which is always encouraged. The more reports we receive, the more resource can be provided to tackle the issues that are important to our residents.
“Thank you to all the volunteers, artists and partners for their dedication and commitment to keeping The Line tidy – 11 months without graffiti is a fantastic achievement and proves that by investing in our communities, people start to take pride in where they live, comma making it a better place to stay.”
Allerdale Local Focus Hub manager, Emma Thompson, said: “We are pleased to see that partners are continuing to work together to make The Line a place that our communities can continue to take care of, enjoy and feel safe.
“The feedback remains positive since the initial project started and we are pleased that the initial issues raised have reduced and we will continue to encourage residents to report anti-social behaviour.”
Allerdale Neighbourhood Policing Inspector Steven Waddell said “It’s great to see that partners continue to see positive feedback following the continuous work to clean up The Line.
“One of the main issues highlighted to police was anti-social behaviour which we are pleased to see has decreased. We have seen a slight increase in reported drug offences, and I anticipate this increase is due to increased reporting and police activity in the area.
“We encourage anyone to report any issue to ourselves and our partners so that it remains a safe space for our communities to enjoy.”
