A decision to stop using private companies to clean the borough’s road gullies will improve the service, according to Enfield Council.

The number of road gullies cleaned every year will rise from 15,000 to 20,000 once the service is brought back in-house, a council report says.

Gully cleaning – currently outsourced to a private contractor – has often been characterised by “poor or mixed performance”, with cleaning “often behind programme”, the report adds.

Running the service in-house will cost around £160,000 per year.

But it could also raise more money for the council by allowing it to charge for servicing housing land, educational premises, private developments and privately managed industrial estates.

At a cabinet meeting on Wednesday (May 13), senior councillors agreed to insource the service from July 1 “or as soon as practicable after this date”.

Cabinet member for finance and procurement Cllr Mary Maguire said: “I am really pleased the service is being brought in-house. I know a lot of residents who are going to be happy road gullies are going to be cleaned more efficiently than before.”

Council leader Cllr Nesil Caliskan added: “I’m pleased we are able to make progress on our agenda to insource as many services as we can.

“An anticipated 30 per cent increase in gullies being cleaned will please many a resident – particularly those who have let us know gullies have not been cleaned as well as they should have been.”