Wiltshire Council highways boss Philip Whitehead says changes to street cleaning will stop duplication and improve the situation for Devizes.

After Devizes Town Council expressed concern about a cut in numbers of road sweepers in order to save money, Coun Whitehead told its planning committee that previously there would be a street sweeper and a litter picker working on the same highway at the same time.

But the changes being introduced mean there will be a daily litter picking services in Devizes town centre with a sweeper attending twice a week.

All residential areas will continue to be litter picked to a minimum of once every three months while sweeping will be about every six months. Sweeping on rural kerbed roads will increase to six monthly.

Coun Whitehead, the Wiltshire Council portfolio holder for highways contracts, said: “Two people in the same area at the same time doing the same thing is wastage.”