CIVIC leaders have heaped praise on residents of a picturesque part of North Yorkshire after it was officially declared one of the cleanest areas in the region.

A survey of 106 sites in Ryedale, carried out by environmental charity Encams, revealed that the district was predominantly litter-free and well above the national average for levels of cleanliness.

However, local authorities were told to clean up their act in several areas, with the report saying that footpath and roadside weeds, as well as pedestrian litter in market town centres, should be targeted for improvements.

Ian Cole, regional director of Encams, said: "The street sites assessed within the Ryedale District Council area achieved a cleanliness standard of 74 - well above the national average. All of the street sites surveyed within the Ryedale District Council area were of a good or acceptable standard of cleanliness."

Over the past ten years, Encams has developed innovative cleanliness standards surveys and other measurement techniques which are now widely used by more than 130 local authorities.

The charity's "People and Places" programme and its performance assessment techniques have also been endorsed by the Association of District Councils, the Local Government Association and the Institute of Environmental Health Officers.

Leading private sector contractors have also requested that their cleansing performance be independently assessed by Encams.

The chairman of Ryedale's community services committee, Councillor Elizabeth Shields, said: "We are delighted with the results of this survey. Staff in Ryedale District Council's commercial services department work hard to ensure that the area is as litter-free as possible.

"However, we are lucky that so many Ryedale residents take the hard line over litter and work with us to keep the district clean."

Of the report's criticisms, Coun Shields said: "We already work in partnership with North Yorkshire County Council to ensure weeds are tackled. Although the issue of pedestrian litter has been mentioned in the report the problem is not as great as many other local authorities."