Contractors have told councillors the leaf clearance programme went “very well” in Watford last year.

Veolia cleared the fallen autumn leaves over a 15-week period, from September to December last year – with the vast majority of leaves cleared by Christmas 2018.

During the peak leafing period, the company told councillors they had hired three more modern Scarab mechanical sweepers.

And from mid-October to late November, they said, six additional staff had been brought in.

The company delivered their report to a meeting of Watford Borough Council’s outsourced services scrutiny panel on Monday (January 28).

They said that last year leaf clearance coincided with a planned deep clean. But, according to the report, next year they say they will make every effort to ensure the deep clean is completed earlier in the year.

“Despite the deep clean, which took place during November the leaf clearance programme went very well this year, with over 40 per cent less queries about autumn leaf clearing than last year,” said the report.