AN UNDERPASS in Yate has been the subject of criticism after it has continually been left messy and vandalised.

The path, which offers passage between Yate Shopping Centre and Lidl, under Kennedy Way, has been repeatedly left strewn with broken glass and rubbish on the floor, and graffiti on the walls – despite being repeatedly cleaned by South Gloucestershire Council.

Among those complaining about the fruitless efforts to keep the underpass clean is Yate pensioner John Young, who has said he has stopped using the crossing for fear of the broken glass damaging the tires on his mobility vehicle.

“If you were to get visitors to the area, it would be a disgrace to show them part of the town looking like this,” said 80-year-old Mr Young.

“I have stopped using it myself and definitely would not go down there at night.”

Claiming to have phoned the council a number of times to report the mess, Mr Young suggested that it would probably be more cost effective to close the underpass and fill the land, directing pedestrians instead to the zebra crossings on either side.

He said: “I really don’t see the point in having it there anymore, given there are two much more convenient crossings right next to it.

“When the council have come down to clear the mess or paint the walls in the past, it is almost like they know they are wasting their time, because it will be exactly the same only a few hours later.

“It must be costing them a fortune to keep clearing the mess being left there. They might as well fill it up and be done with it.”

A spokesman from South Gloucestershire Council confirmed that they were aware of the ongoing problems with littering in this underpass, particularly broken glass, and said that they clean the subway at least three times a week.

One the question of filling in the underpass, the spokesman said that the council would only look to fill in or decommission the subway if there were problems with its load carrying capacity.

He said: “The normal funding streams for the relevant department are for the maintenance. Improvement and strengthening of structures.  We do not use those funding streams to decommission a subway because of an anti-social behaviour issue.

“In order to consider this we would need to consult with local residents and businesses and establish support for decommissioning because of anti-social behaviour and then identify possible funding for the work.”

The spokesman also said that when filling the subway, the approach ramps would also be filled, which altogether could cost up to £200,000.