The Government's Public Cleansing Department has acquired new equipment which Resources Minister George Pullicino said would enable it to clean up arterial roads more frequently.

The equipment includes eight tipper vans, nine tipper trucks, three mechanical sweepers, a loading van, two refuse vehicles, a skip loader, 10 skips, two vans and two wheel loaders. They were bought for €428,000 after having been used for a year in the UK.

Mr Pullicino said the department was responsible for the cleanliness of 450km of arterial road, the bulky refuse service and beach cleaning.

In the first half of the year its employees collected 9,400 tons of rubbish from the roads and the door-to-rook bulky refuse service responded to 8,000 calls and collected 21,000 items. The items included 1,635 mattresses, 4,597 household appliances and 4,039 items of furniture. The workers also removed 11,000 posters from the roads.

Mr Pullicino also pointed out how the frequency of beach cleaning had been improved and beach ladders and bins replaced. A total of 140 new ladders were installed.

Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi, who toured the department in Corradino with Mr Pullicino, urged the people to keep the roads and beaches clean and expressed appreciation for the work of the Public Cleaning Department, particularly during the hot summer months.