Call for Action on Leaf Clearing and Street Lighting

Opposition says council needs to deal with issues before winter begins

Leaf clearance taking place in the borough. Picture: Hounslow Highways

November 17, 2025

Conservative opposition councillors have written to Hounslow Council urging urgent reassurance and action over the borough’s leaf-clearing programme and a review of street-lighting levels as winter begins. They say accumulated wet leaves are creating slippery, uneven pavements and hiding kerb edges, increasing the risk of trips and falls, while reduced lighting is making residents reluctant to go out after dark and damaging footfall for local businesses in the run-up to Christmas.

Councillors are seeking confirmation that the published 2025–26 leaf-clearing schedule on the Hounslow Highways website will be carried out in full and that any missed streets will be rescheduled within a defined timeframe. They want clear information about how residents will be notified in advance when cars need to be moved to allow sweeping to take place, and what will happen where access is blocked. They also ask that reports of excessive leaf fall on roads not listed in the schedule are assessed promptly and that target response times for reactive requests are published.

The letter to the council requests details of resourcing plans, including whether extra crews, overtime or weekend working will be used during peak leaf-fall weeks and how teams will be reallocated after storms or heavy falls. Councillors ask how leaf clearing is being coordinated with other street services such as waste and recycling collection, gully clearing and work in known flooding hotspots to reduce combined hazards.

On lighting, the councillors are pressing for a borough-wide review to be completed quickly and for the council to explain the criteria to be used, such as lux levels, footfall, crime and incident data, and reports of collisions or near misses. They want town centres, transport interchanges, school routes, riverside paths and known collision hotspots to be prioritised for earlier adjustments, and they seek a clear timetable for implementing any increases in lighting levels that are found to be necessary.

Unswept leaves by Strand on the Green

Cllr Joanna Biddolph, who represents Chiswick Gunnersbury, warned that leaves can obscure the kerb edge and cause people to misstep when mounting pavements, noting that several residents have suffered serious injuries in recent years because pavements and roads were not cleared. She said the effect is not only a safety issue but also an economic one: when people feel unsafe walking after dark, they are less likely to shop or dine locally. Cllr Peter Thompson, leader of the Conservative group and councillor for Chiswick Riverside, repeated long-running calls for lighting levels to be reviewed and restored after previous energy-saving dimming, arguing that dimmed lights make streets feel less safe, especially when combined with poor leaf clearance.

Following the sending of the letter, Labour councillor Katherine Dunne posted images on local media of leaf clearing being undertaken this week of the cycleway on Chiswick High Road.

Hounslow Highways clearing leaves on Chiswick High Road. Picture: Cllr Katherine Dunne

Hounslow Highways’ published guidance explains that the leaf-clearing programme is compiled from past experience and data on leaf-fall patterns and that the schedule runs between November and February, starting the week commencing 3 November. The contractor notes that weather can accelerate or delay leaf fall and that fortnightly ward-based cleansing will pick up roads not on the main schedule. It also asks residents to log excessive leaf fall through the Hounslow Highways website so issues can be assessed and, if necessary, addressed reactively.

Residents and traders say they want clearer communication about when streets will be swept and reassurance that crews will catch up after adverse weather. Councillors have asked Cllr Shivraj Grewal, Cabinet Member for Highways and Street Cleaning, for a prompt written reply outlining the council’s plans and timescales. They say they will hold the council to any commitments made and continue to press for published response targets and a swift lighting review.

In the meantime, residents are encouraged to check the Hounslow Highways leaf-fall and street-cleansing pages for the published schedule and to report specific problem streets online so requests are logged. With November underway, Chiswick’s councillors say practical measures and clearer communications are needed now to reduce hazards and restore confidence in the borough’s streets this winter.

The council has confirmed that the leaf-clearing programme unless severe weather requires rescheduling. Up to now the published schedule has been adhered to and is expected to finish on time. Residents will receive advance notice when cars need to be moved for sweeping, including details on how and when notices are sent, and what happens if access is blocked.  No Traffic Regulation Orders (TROs) are expected to be used for leaf clearance. Crews will work around parked vehicles on the carriageway where access is limited.

When excessive leaf fall is reported on roads not on the schedule, reports submitted through the Hounslow Highways website will be assessed and addressed, and the target response times for these requests will be provided.Residents who notice excessive leaf fall on streets not scheduled for cleaning should report it through FixMyStreet. Reports are assessed, and reactive works are raised where required.

No weekend working is planned to tackle any background of leaf clearing but Fridays act as a contingency day to catch up or provide additional attendance if needed.

The council says that the leaf clearing programme and selected roads have been informed by assessments of waste and recycling operations, gully-cleansing needs and known flooding hotspots.

When is your street due to be cleared of leaves? See the full borough schedule here.

On street lighting levels, it says that they are being checked but levels are not seasonally adjusted. Lighting operates to pre-set switch on and switch off times aligning with dawn and dusk, in accordance with the Council’s established lighting specification.

Street lighting performance is governed by Private Finance Initiative (PFI) specification and national British standards. Apart from the previously approved 2016 dimming programme, lighting levels follow these established standards and are compliant. Town centres and the strategic road network are not subject to dimming and currently operate at full output.

Only the Metropolitan Police and the London Fire Brigade have the authority to request changes to lighting levels. The council says that neither agency has made any recent requests for increased lighting in the borough.