Sweeping 474 miles of road and twice as many miles of pavement has been one of the main tasks of the borough's army of street cleaners.

Since Cleanaway took over responsibility for street cleaning, recycling and rubbish collection in Croydon last August the council has said there has been a noticeable improvement in standards.

The council agreed the £80million seven-year waste management contract last year, promising drastic improvements in cleaning up Croydon.

Extra resources have been ploughed into the contract with street sweeping teams working into the early hours of the morning to blitz the town centre, removing litter and debris left behind from the previous night's revelries.

The number of people taking part in the council's kerbside recycling scheme has increased since Cleanaway took over the contract and the whole borough should be covered by next year.

Councillor Gerry Ryan, cabinet member for environmental services, said the council wouldn't be resting on its laurels but would continue to work with Cleanaway to develop and improve its street cleaning services.