A HOST of "cleaner, greener" improvements are set to be made as part of a £600,000 investment.

Wigan Council has unveiled plans to spruce up 12 district centres including Leigh, Atherton and Tyldesley as part of the Our Town campaign.

The local authority say more bins will be installed, benches and road markings will be repainted and street lighting will be improved.

Each area will get a deep clean, including jet-washing, weeding and pruning. New trees will also be planted and flower planters will be fitted.

Wigan Council leader, Cllr David Molyneux, said: “Residents told us they wanted to feel proud of their local area and we want to give them even more reasons to feel that way.

“The package of environmental improvements is in response to people who said they wanted their local communities to be clean and tidy. We’ll kickstart that with a good spring clean.

“We recognise people have deep connections with their individual communities – not just our main towns – which is why Our Town is tailored to each district.”

Inspired by residents' feedback, Our Town will champion the borough’s mix of "brilliant towns that make up one great place".

Individual projects will be funded in each of the districts too.

Wigan and Leigh town centres are not included in Our Town as they have their own separate town centre masterplans.

Other aspects of Our Town include projects to promote the borough’s heritage and to celebrate the people who dedicate their time to their community.

If there’s someone who goes the extra mile, residents can nominate them for a local hero award.

Work is already underway to spend the cash.

A new fence has been installed in Golborne after residents raised concerns about the area looking untidy.

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Lead member for district centres at the council, Cllr Yvonne Klieve, said: “Our Town is all about increasing community spirit and we know people want to look around their community feeling proud of where they live.

“The fence in Golborne was something local residents asked for and is an example of the type of community investments we’ll be making. We have plans to add artwork to it which will also brighten up the area.

“There will be more exciting developments in the campaign throughout the year which we’ll keep residents updated with.”

Also in the pipeline for this year are short story, poetry and photography competitions encouraging residents to share what they love about where they live.

For more information or to nominate a superstar neighbour visit www.wigan.gov.uk/ourtown.