DIY answer to defeating the litter louts

BEN Stafford’s article about litter (Yorkshire Post, July 7) raised many important points that need to be addressed by everyone and not just the litter louts who dominate the roads, streets and lanes of our cities, towns and villages.

It is estimated by the recovery firm Green Flag that 20 per cent of car occupants merrily throw rubbish out of their windows expecting either its total disintegration or the willingness of someone else to pick up and dispose of it.

Ben Stafford’s article mentions several initiatives that groups and governments have introduced over the years in an attempt to try to alleviate this problem. The Campaign for the Protection of Rural England has consistently campaigned in this regard, with the Take Your Litter Home campaign and now the “Love where you Live” initiative, which does not seem to have reached the northern parts of the country as yet, coupled with the Conservative and Liberal pledge to “work to reduce littering” have all, like the litter, fallen by the wayside.

There is little point, I contend, in citing laws to prevent such anti-social behaviour. The people who do offend are not concerned about laws as they cannot be enforced.

Look around at the dog faeces on the pavements and lanes. Does the £80 fine encourage these miscreants to pick up after their dogs? Who will enforce these laws that Ben Stafford mentions? We have no ‘village bobby’, the dog wardens are few and far between, and as the country falls under the mass of discarded litter, fast-food packaging, dog faeces, fly-tipping and the like, what, if any is the solution?

Really, there isn’t one, but an attempt can be made and it is quite simple. Do it yourself as we in Rawcliffe have had to do. Having no local support apart from East Riding who provided high visibility vests, pickers, bags and gloves, the Rawcliffe Rubbish Ridders group was formed and takes to the streets and lanes of our village each fortnight, with many members of the group doing this more frequently.

A difference has been made but it would be a fallacy to say that the problem has been solved although it is hoped that, as people in the area see our valiant members in high visibility kit cleaning up, they will be more aware of their own behaviour in this regard.

It was John Dryden who said that the “common interest always will prevail” and this is what it boils down to. Look after your neighbourhood yourself and live in hope!

Death better than prison

From: Dr John P Whiteley, Stonedale Close, Pool-In-Wharfedale.

AS usual, Bill Carmichael hit the nail firmly on the head with his column “When life is a cruel penalty” (Yorkshire Post, July 6)..

I have thought for some time that life imprisonment is in many cases more inhumane than a quick ending.

Restoration of the death penalty however seems a long way off, despite public opinion.

There is, I propose, a third way. That prisoners serving a life sentence be offered assisted suicide.

This would not be an execution but entered into voluntarily. Many wrinkles would need to be ironed out, but the whole idea would be to keep things simple.

This could become a win win situation, the prisoner “escapes” his life sentence, the people are rid of them and the financial burden of keeping them for the rest of their days.

From: Brian Sheridan, Redmires Road, Sheffield.

BILL Carmichael defends capital punishment on the grounds that it is more humane than life imprisonment [“When life is a cruel penalty” Yorkshire Post July 6].

Not, I think, the reason why 65 per cent of those questioned on a 2011 poll wanted the death penalty restored for murder.

This rationale would rule out the death penalty as the major deterrent and underestimate what I believe motivates most of the respondents: sympathy for the murder victim and revenge.

Drains not the only problem

From: Peter Stevenson, Team Leader, Environment Management, Environment Agency North East.

WE’D like to raise some points about your lead article (Yorkshire Post, July 4) which focused on Staithes bathing water and the impression it gave of the impact of wrongly-connected domestic drainage pipes on residents.

While the domestic drainage issue is something that has to, and will be tackled, it is a relatively minor element of the overall problem. Further investigations still need to take place to get a better understanding of the extent of the issue and the costs associated with dealing with it.

The situation in Staithes is very complex as the bathing water is within the harbour into which Staithes Beck flows.

At the present time the Environment Agency and Yorkshire Water are working to produce a computer model of the bathing water which will identify in more detail the sources of the bacteria present.

There are likely to be a number of these including agriculture, the sewerage system, private sewage discharges and domestic drainage.

The model will also help us to see if changes to the water flow through the harbour area will make a difference to the water quality as well.

We are working closely with Yorkshire Water and the local authority and will keep the residents of Staithes updated about our work.