association

It is a town which has struggled with its image for many years.

Previous 'awards' for Luton include being voted the 'dirtiest town in Britain' and the 'worst place to live in the UK'.

And if these pictures are anything to go by, it looks like the town is still struggling to shake off its poor reputation.

Concerned with Luton's image, a local photographer, who did not want to be named, wandered the streets of the Bedfordshire town and took this worrying photographic portrait.

Feeding time: A group of rats pictured near Luton town centre in Bedforshire

Unattractive: Luton has previously been voted as one of the worst places to live in the UK in a poll conducted by Channel 4

Destruction: Broken glass scattered on the ground after a car window was smashed following a break-in close to Luton's town centre

Break-in: A car window after being broken into by thieves

With large groups of rats pictured eating on discarded food, cars left with shattered windows following break-ins by thieves and litter left lying on the streets, it paints a grim picture of the town.

But it seems his concerns about the town may well fall on deaf ears.

Michael Garrett, the leader of the Conservative group on Luton Borough Council, defended the town and said it does not have a problem with street cleaning and refuse collection.

'Yes, the town has got problems but I cannot agree that it is a dirty mess,' he said. 'I cannot agree with that at all.

What a mess: Bags of overflowing rubbish discarded in the Marsh Farm area of Luton

Wrong award: Luton was voted the dirtiest town in the UK in 2002

'The government has made local government cuts and Luton, as with other places, has had to cope with that.

'In terms of street cleaning, I have not noticed that it has gone downhill. Parts of the town are run down but that is not really a fault of the council. It is doing its best under difficult circumstances.

'I would not say that refuse collection and street cleaning has suffered in any way. With less staff they are still managing to keep the streets tidy. For years Luton has suffered with this bad image but I do not think it deserves it.'

With all councils across the country facing cuts in central government grants, the images reflect the challenges faced by towns across Britain as they struggle not to slide into neglect.

The concerns about rubbish in Luton follow the decision by the borough council to approve cuts to street cleaning services last year.

ITS NOT ALL THAT BAD... IT HAS A HUGE AIRPORT AND FAMOUS CARNIVAL

Luton is a large town ideally situated about 30 miles north of London.

It is a town which has long been proud of its football team, which currently plays in the Conference National division.

Its history includes a number of spells in the top flight of English football. In 1988, Luton Town won the Football League cup.

 

International links: Despite the concerns over rubbish, Luton has plenty going for it, including one of the largest airports in England

 

Bright: The Luton Carnival is the largest one-day carnival in Europe

One of the biggest employers in the town and a huge source of visitors is London Luton Airport which opened in 1938. It is now one of England's major airports.

Also based in the town is the University of Bedfordshire, attracting students to the area.

One of the most popular events of the year in the town is the Luton Carnival which is held on the final May bank holiday. It is the largest one-day carnival in Europe.

Cuts: Last year, Luton Borough council's executive approved cuts to street cleaning services

Rick pickings: A pigeon eats feasting on food that has been thrown in the ground

Vandals: A disused factory unit that has been vandalised, reflects how Luton is struggling to clean up its streets

The cutbacks, which the council said would save £262,000 a year, resulted in the loss of 12 jobs from the council's street cleaning team.

The cuts also resulted in a sharp decline in the number of streets with an 'acceptable level of cleanliness', with a decline from 97 per cent to 87.5 per cent.

Cleaning was not reduced in the town centre and other busy shopping areas, but the response time of the graffiti removal service was increased to two days from one, except in cases of racially-motivated or offensive graffiti.

Speaking after the cuts decision last year, Lib Dem group leader David Franks criticised the decision.

He said: 'The big issue is that they chopped £100,000 out of the budget last year and £34,000 the year before.

'They clearly believe that this is not making any difference, but I’m getting people saying to me that there is more litter, more fly posting.

'Are we going to go back to 2002 when Luton was voted the dirtiest town in Britain?'

Staff expressed concerns that blood spillages and graffiti would not be cleaned up at weekends during a consultation on the cuts.

Decline: The cuts also resulted in a sharp decline in the number of streets with an 'acceptable level of cleanliness', with a decline from 97 per cent to 87.5 per cent

Councillors criticised the cutbacks, saying that they feared the standard of cleanliness in the town will slip