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Offenders to scrub Tube station for royal wedding
2011-03-13 15:51:26
13 March 2011 Last updated at 12:52 Share this page Delicious Digg Facebook reddit StumbleUpon Twitter Email Print Offenders scrub London Tube in time for royal wedding Continue reading the main story Related Stories Offenders help abandoned animals Community Payback no soft option Firm sacked after staff underpaid
A group of offenders will be scrubbing a subway in Westminster in an attempt to get them gleaming in time for the royal wedding.
Hyde Park Corner Tube station is being cleaned up following complaints, some dating back four years, about its condition.
All five pedestrian subway tunnels will be cleaned as part of London Probation Trust's community payback scheme.
It is hoped the station will be ready in time for the wedding on 29 April.
'Real headache'Ravi Kumar, the Westminster Warden for Knightsbridge and Belgravia, approached Westminster Council and London Underground to organise the work.
Mr Kumar covers issues from waste dumping to illegal street trading and said complaints about the condition of the pedestrian walkways dated back up to four years.
"It was becoming a real headache as we didn't want people seeing the state of the subway when they arrived in London," he added.
"The tunnels do get cleaned every night but they were in need of some real elbow grease. I went down myself with a bit of wire sponge and had a scrub and it really made a difference so I thought doing it manually would be our best option."
The group will work throughout April, sectioning off one side of a tunnel at a time to allow pedestrians to continue to use the walkways.
Westminster Council's cabinet member for city management councillor Ed Argar said the scheme was a "great example of how those that cause problems for society can give something back to the community.
"We know come 29 April the eyes of the world will be upon us and we want to make sure the city offers the best environment possible."