rime by Faiza Afzaal


CLITHEROE’S student mother Julie Holden has learned her lesson in hygiene and has vowed to keep her house clean after television dirtbusters tackled a mega clean-up blitz. Last Wednesday evening millions of


viewers watched Channel 4’s "How Clean is Your House?" presenters Kim Woodburn and Aggie Mackenzie, transform the grime hotspot in Mayfield Avenue into an immac­ ulate house. The duo, assisted by an army of cleaners,


found piles of rotting rubbish and clothes in the hallway, mouldy peanuts and piles of grime trapped under furniture in the lounge. In the programme, tenant Julie likened


the upstairs of her house to a bomb site! The bathroom was full of slime and scale


and Julie’s 10-year-old daughter Ashleigh’s bedroom was a tip. But it was the state of the kitchen that


shocked the cleaning inspectors. Single mum Julie said her house had spi­


ralled out of control since she enrolled for a university course. The presenters certainly subjected her to the third degree when they discovered rotting food lying in the kitchen along with the fridge and microwave cov­ ered in filth. Commenting on the “untidy” place,


Julie, said: “In the kitchen I don’t really get a chance to do a lot. I just live in it day to day. “With regards to the microwave, I deal


with this problem by just closing the door on the mess and then I don’t have to see it if I can help it.” But Kim and Aggie certainly did not close the door on the mess. Armed with rub­


ber gloves, feather dusters and a box full of strong detergents, they started the cleaning process and 24 hours later the house was transformed. The kitchen, which was full of mould, was sparkling. Every surface in the bathroom glistened


and shined so much that Julie was looking forward to having a bath!! And Julie even kept the house clean and


tidy two weeks later when the cleaning pro­ fessors came to inspect. Speaking on their delight to see the house


just as they had left it, Kim and Aggie, said: “You have done us proud.” Julie revealed to the Clitheroe Advertiser


and Times that the presenters had helped change her life for the better and she was glad she did not have to live with the mess anymore. She added: “Because the mess had accu­


mulated over a period of time I did not know where to start, so when Kim and Aggie came they kick-started my cleaning process and I have managed to keep the house clean since.” But in light of the 30-minute episode,


local housing officials will now take a closer look at council properties and take immedi­ ate action if problems arise. Chairman of the housing committee for


FAMILY NOTICES... PAGES 22,23 ■ AT YOUR SERVICE... PAGES 8,


Ribble Valley Borough Council, Coun. Joyce Holgate, said: “The majority of our tenants are tidy. We just cannot go out and start inspecting council properties. Howev­ er, if we do receive a complaint then we will take immediate action.’ But some think the whole situation has


been blown out of proportion. Ward Coun. Stephen Sutcliffe said: “I


think the whole episode was contrived by the television crews. I am under the impres­ sion that Julie was told not to clean her house from last November. It is cheap and nasty television and something which is resented by people living in the area”


Snakes alive; it’s moving!


A CLITHEROE man thought his neighbour was playing a joke when he found a kingsnake in his backyard! Mr Alistair White, of


Woone Lane, discovered the 3ft. long dark brown and yellow Californian snake on Sunday morning, but his initial reaction was th a t his neighbour was playing a joke on him. Mr White (49) said: “At


first I thought it was a fake rubber snake left deliberately in my back­ yard by my neighbour. It was not until its head moved that I realised it was a real one and phoned the police.” The RSPCA was also


alerted and removed the non-poisonous reptile, from under a flagstone. 9 These snakes are one


of the most common in the UK, popular due to their placid temperament and undemanding needs.


‘Firearm’ charge A CLITHEROE man has been charged with posses­ sion of an imitation firearm and public order offences following an inci­ dent in the ®festle grounds over the May Bank Holi­ day weekend. Tyrone Bridges (31), of


Corporation Street, is due to appear before Black­ burn magistrates later today.


Mon to Fri 9am-5pm Sat 10am-4pm Weekday evenings by appointment • A unique collection o f furniture & accessories to complement your home • Pendle Mill, Pendle Road, Clitheroe Telephone 01200 425522


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