MAY I apologise on behalf on myself and two colleagues to any residents living in York city centre who over a period of three days every fortnight have been woken from their sleep by us washing the streets between 4am and 6am.

We don't set out to wake people up, it is the best time for us to do the job as we avoid the traffic and people. We can only wash the streets in summer because we risk turning the city into an ice rink if we did it in winter, plus we have tried washing early evening and we cause traffic chaos in the city.

So to any residents from now until September who is awoken by us washing the streets, we apologise. We ask you to bear with us as we strive to make the city a cleaner place to live and work.

P R Willey,

Council worker and street washer,

Burnholme Drive, York.

Updated: 11:38 Wednesday, June 27, 2001