HAVERING Council is urging residents to turn over a new leaf by bagging up tree debris this autumn.
With the prospect of thousands of leaves dressing the borough's pavements, roads and grasslands in the coming weeks, the Town Hall is urging people to step in and help keep Havering tidy, by relaunching their "you rake them and we'll collect them" campaign.
As well as being unsightly, leaves can be a slip hazard for pedestrians, and people are being asked to rake up and bag tree litter, and then call the council to arrange collection.
Havering Council cabinet member for the environment, Cllr Barry Tebbutt, announced the scheme's return yesterday.
He said: "Every autumn, on average, we collect more than 4 billion fallen leaves from the 20,000 trees lining our streets.
"Following the success of this scheme over the last five years, Havering Council has once again decided to extend this service to include leaves collected by residents.
"Leaves left on a lawn can damage the grass and on pathways become an unsightly slippery mush.
"Rake them up, put them in bin bags, label them and call us. Once collected, the leaves will be properly disposed of."
Residents should call 01708 432563 to arrange a collection.
