Weighing in at 3.5 tonnes and standing at more than seven-foot-tall in height, the latest tool in Barking and Dagenham Council’s fight against grime crime has been released. 

The Hako Citymaster 1600 is a compact street sweeper that has interchangeable attachments, meaning its use can be quickly changed from road sweeping to deep cleaning or tackling oil spillages. 

The council has bought four of the vehicles at a cost of £200,000 as part of wider plans to clean up the borough’s streets. 

Later this year, the council plans to introduce a number of new refuse vehicles. 

We know cleaner streets and a tidier borough is one of the key priorities for our residents, which is why we are investing in our fleet to find a balance in the tools we have available to tackle grime crime. 

Councillor Syed Ghani, Cabinet Member for Public Realm, said: “We know cleaner streets and a tidier borough is one of the key priorities for our residents, which is why we are investing in our fleet to find a balance in the tools we have available to tackle grime crime. 

“These new, compact vehicles will go where our larger vehicles can’t, meaning issues such as tight turning spaces or poorly parked cars will no longer rule out large parts of Barking and Dagenham.”

Earlier this month the council introduced increased fines for offenders caught fly-tipping from £150 to £400. This came after the council cleared 461 tonnes of fly-tipping last year – the equivalent of 36 double-decker buses.

In a bid to catch offenders, the council launched the Wall of Shame, which shows culprits caught on camera fly-tipping.  The series has been viewed more than 100,000 times.