BUSINESSES in Hartlepool have been praised for supporting a clean-up initiative.

Mayor Stuart Drummond launched Operation Clean Sweep in 2003, in which the council concentrates resources in one area for a short period.

The latest week-long clean-up, the 12th since the initiative was launched, is targeting the central part of the town.

Supporters include Hartlepool United FC, whose staff are giving up their time to clean and maintain land around the Victoria Park stadium, Hazel Windows, which is offering to clean the windows of town centre businesses, and the Middleton Grange Shopping Centre, which is carrying out litter picks and re-painting railings between the King John Tavern and the Central Library.

Mayor Drummond said: "This particular clean-up in the centre of town will not only benefit businesses and residents but also improve the appearance of town for visitors and tourists."

Cleveland Police will clean up their land in the town and Hartlepool Revival, part of the New Deal for Communities regeneration programme, is ensuring all its properties in the area are clean and tidy.

Other work includes street cleaning and shrub maintenance, including improvements to the flower beds around the cenotaph, funded by the council's Central Neighhbourhood Consultative Forum.

Graffiti is being removed from telephone junction boxes, while streetlights and road barriers are being re-painted, white lining on roads is being renewed, tree cages are being re-painted, bus shelters are being steam-cleaned, and the civic centre concourse and glass atrium is being cleaned.