The Frontline First funding has been set aside to allow environmental projects to be undertaken across the whole of South Lanarkshire.

Council Leader Joe Fagan was delighted to see the ongoing work to clean up the Glen Dessary Monument site in the St Leonards area of East Kilbride.

Due to limited council resources, the monument which commemorates Jean Cameron, a member of the Scottish gentry who was involved in the Jacobite rising of 1745, had become overgrown.

But now the site has been cleared of weeds and new stonework replaced. And the grounds team are replacing the plaque, fixing the steps up to the site and refreshing the cobbles as well as a general tidy-up around the historic monument itself.

Council Leader Joe Fagan said: “I would like to praise all the employees who are working on these hit squads for doing such a great job on clean-up projects like this one.

“Unfortunately, the council is no longer getting the funding we need to continue to do all the good work we want to. So, given the limited resources available for environmental work like this, I am delighted to see many areas being targeted to ensure that our residents can continue to take pride in their local communities.”

The Frontline First Fund is a £3.5m fund set aside by the council to tackle a range of environmental clean-up works over a period of three years.

The fund will deliver additional work not currently possible under existing budget constraints.

Kevin Carr, the head of the council’s Facilities, Waste and Grounds Service, said: “The Frontline First programme has seen seasonal workers retained over the Winter period allowing our grounds teams to deliver additional environmental improvement works across South Lanarkshire.

“The fund is in place for the next three years and will provide specialist and new equipment to tackle areas in need of attention and will also include cemetery infrastructure projects and biodiversity initiatives to enhance our natural environment.

“Additional resources from the fund will also allow fly-tipping and graffiti crews to be established.”

The funding will also support the council’s Roads, Transportation and Fleet Services ‘safe routes for communities’ programmes including streetlighting and drainage improvements.