A WIRRAL village has laid claim to the title of the country’s first “Tidy Business Village”.

More than 90% of businesses in Oxton have won a Tidy Business Award.

The Tidy Business Award scheme has been run by the Keep Britain Tidy campaign for the last 15 years.

It is co-ordinated locally by officers from Wirral Council’s waste and recycling team.

Cllr Gill Gardiner, Wirral Council cabinet member for environment, said it was “a remarkable achievement” for Oxton Village and for the Council’s Tidy Business scheme.

She said: “I would like to congratulate all the businesses and I hope their example encourages many more businesses in other parts of the borough to sign up to the scheme.

“We have Britain’s first Tidy Business Village – there is no reason why we can’t have the second and third, too.”

She added: “Building working relations with the commercial sector, as well as with schools and other parts of the community, is a vital element in our efforts to make our town centres cleaner, safer and greener.

“Wirral is frequently held up as a beacon of good practice for other areas thinking about signing up to the Tidy Business Awards.

“Receiving a Tidy Business Award means that the proprietors have committed to minimising waste, promoting recycling and making practical efforts to improve the local environment.