STREET sweepers used in New York, Madrid and Milan are set to clean up in town centres across Wyre Forest.

The district council has purchased three state-of-the-art mini sweepers - which will be put to work in Bewdley, Kidderminster and Stourport next week - as part of the "Grime's A Crime" campaign with the Shuttle/Times and News. Phil Hampton, of the council's cultural, leisure and commercial services department,with one of the new sweepers.

The street sweepers, worth £17,000 each, will be manned by new specially-trained members of staff daily in the town centres and other areas targeted for improvement in calls to the Grime Line - 0800 085 2330 - which is due to finish at the end of this month.

More than 70 calls have been made since the hotline was launched in May, leading to action by council cleansing staff in the majority of cases.

Council cleansing supervisor John Rhodes said: "We are delighted with the public's response and help with this initiative.

"Over the period of this campaign we have so far reduced our normal level of complaints, which is, I am sure, indicative of the extra work we have managed to do."

The sweepers will begin work on Monday, with schedules being finalised as the Shuttle/Times & News went to press.

Joe Burton, garage foreman at the council's cultural, leisure and commercial services headquarters in Green Street, Kidderminster, said the sweepers are powered by a diesel engine and use hydraulics to suck litter and dog mess into a bag at the rear which is replaced at regular intervals.

Drivers are kept entertained on their rounds by a cup holder and stereo.

The futuristic-looking sweepers have been custom made and are the same model as those used successfully in big cities across the world, as well as being the first of their kind in Worcestershire.