Crisis makes Valencia dirtier

THE financial crisis has affected cleaning services in Valencia over the last four years, according to a new report by the OCU consumers’ organisation.

The report found that Valencia was the city that had worsened the most where cleanliness was concerned.

City councils across Spain were asked for details of cleaning budgets and services and more than 5,825 surveys carried out to find out what people on the streets thought about the cleanliness of their cities.

The results put Valencia down as the fourth worst city in the country with marks of just 39 out of 100 (20 less than in 2011, when it was 27^th on the list) while the national average was 54 out of 100.

While in 2011 Valencia Council spent €51 per person, this has been reduced to €34 for this year and although four years ago there was one municipal cleaner for every 817 inhabitants this has now fallen to one per 1,642.