In this week's Reader Rant opinion column Paul Sealy gets a good grumble off his chest about the Bromley town centre Green Machine cleaning wagon. Have your say by adding your comments below.

I feel I must write to bring to your attention a new phenomenon of annoyance in Bromley town centre.

I work in Bromley and am out and about in the town centre all day. Over the last couple of months, every afternoon, in a town centre packed with shoppers and commuters including schoolchildren at bus stops, in the distance you hear the purr of a diesel engine and a beep beep beep beep, which gradually gets louder and louder, then you see the monstrosity of a four-wheel diesel road sweeping vehicle, sarcastically labelled The Green Machine, which looks like an elongated white quad bike coming up the pavement towards you.

Wherever I am, the operator drives his wagon towards me. The noise and fumes of the diesel engine and the relentless beep beep beep and flashing orange light in itself is annoying, but then, two minutes later, he’s back again, doing a stretch of pavement where you’ve moved to, to get out of his way in the first place.

Bus stops full of people are gestured to “get out of the way”, as he continues his way along the busy pavement.

Two minutes later, he’s back again, and again, and again.

People at cashpoints are harrassed to get out of the way. He doesn't go around them, he sits engine running, light flashing, beeper beeping until they move.

This is a daily occurrence. You can’t hear your mobile phone because of the noise, you have to shout to have a conversation above it, police officers and PCSOs can’t hear their radios, and are also ushered out of the way regardless of what they are doing.

What makes this even more ridiculous is that the streets are not particulary strewn with litter. A few cigarette butts is all he ever seems to pick up.

Surely this should be done at 6.30pm when everyone has gone home, not all afternoon, every day when the town centre is packed with people.

From my various standing points in the town centre I observe other people’s annoyance of this, and I hope I am not the only one to write to you about it.

I have seen the same operator with a barrow and a broom at 7.30pm. Why can't he use that in the afternoon, and his Green Machine when the streets are empty?

I do wish Bromley Council would stop this onslaught of vacuuming up innocent members of the public. As well as the annoyance, the fumes from the diesel engine are not exactly environmentally friendly.

I wrote to the council over two weeks ago, but at time of writing, I have not, surprise surprise, heard back from them.

This column is produced by an independent writer and in no way reflects the official position of News Shopper or its parent company.

What do you think? Have you been troubled by this Bromley town centre Green Machine? Are there similar cleaning regimes where you live? Add your comments below.

Check News Shopper's website every lunchtime for a new daily opinion column. Thursday will cover a moral issue. Friday is a sport rant. Monday is back to the Shopper Rant on a topical news story. Tuesday is entertainment day. Be sure to have your say if you agree or disagree with what you read.

If you want to get a good grumble off your chest and be considered for next Wednesday's Reader Rant send your article to web manager Simon Bull at sbull@london.newsquest.co.uk

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