JERICHO is the latest Oxford neighbourhood to be targeted in the battle against dog mess, litter and graffiti.

The city council’s Cleaner Greener Oxford drive – supported by the Oxford Mail – has already helped smarten up the city centre, Blackbird Leys, and East Oxford.

On Wednesday, the campaign gave Jericho a deep clean using a mechanical sweeper, leaf collection machine and litter pickers.

Officers also used a machine to scrub off graffiti within minutes, and businesses were surveyed to check they were correctly dealing with waste.

Jericho residents will now be asked what problems they have with litter or waste and the council will try to find long-term solutions.

Launching the campaign, executive member for a cleaner Oxford, John Tanner said: “In Jericho, a lot of the houses can be quite small so disposing of rubbish can be a problem.

“I think the litter collecting is already working quite well, and we clean the streets quite frequently because it is a city centre location.

“But one of the problems is that wheelie bins get left on the pavements and cause an obstruction.

“We understand people have a difficulty with what to do with them.”

He said residents could either ask for smaller wheelie bins, or put their names down for new blue recylcing sacks, which are to be piloted in Jericho for households which struggle to cope with a big bin.

Cleaner Greener Oxford was launched in October 2009, to tackle litter and reduce the amount of cigarette butts, chewing gum and paper dropped in the city.

Mr Tanner said: “Everybody agrees there has been huge improvements in the city centre.

“Then we moved to Blackbird Leys, and things are a lot better there. We are still working in East Oxford where there is still a long way to go.”

Cowley Road and parts of its side roads are now swept and litter-picked seven days a week.

Litter pickers visit the remaining streets on a weekly basis and empty litter bins twice a day.

The campaign so far has resulted in 648 fines being served for littering offences in the city centre and 21 prosecutions.

Environmental enforcement efficers, community wardens, parks officers and PCSOs can impose on-the-spot £80 fines to anyone caught dropping litter, discarding rubbish from a vehicle, throwing away chewing gum or cigarette ends, fly-posting or daubing graffiti.

Mr Tanner added: “With the support of the Oxford Mail, Cleaner Greener has transformed Oxford.

“There used to be some pretty grubby spots in Oxford, but that is now very much the exception.”