'Shocking' £9m spend on Belfast city centre street cleansing

Belfast City Council spent £9m on street cleansing in the last financial year, UTV can reveal.

However less-than-impressed business leaders and local residents say that the council is not getting value for money.

"It is a shocking figure," Glynn Roberts from Retail NI said. "Large parts of the city centre look like they haven't been cleaned for months on end."

The figure was released as part of a Freedom of Information request.

UTV approached all of Northern Ireland's local councils, seeking to uncover how much money has been allocated and used over the past year.

Out of the 11 councils, four confirmed to us that they went over budget.

Derry City and Strabane District Council exceeded its amount by more than a quarter of a million pounds.

An additional £400,000 has already been budgeted for this year by Belfast City Council.

The council say they are working to make the city's streets and avenues sparkle once again for residents and tourists.