Litter and why Britain is far worse than USA – Yorkshire Post Letters

From: Ian Baylis, New England, United States.
Volunteer litter pickers clearing up the mess left behind by others.Volunteer litter pickers clearing up the mess left behind by others.
Volunteer litter pickers clearing up the mess left behind by others.

I AM from Leeds but left the UK in 1998 to live in the USA (Tom Richmond, The Yorkshire Post, July 25).

With the exception of inner cities, litter is hard to find in the States, especially in the countryside where there is barely any, at least in New England where I live.

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The problem in the UK is not the local council being able to “pick up”, it’s the culture there.

Just a fraction of the litter left in Leeds after Leeds United's promotion celebrations.Just a fraction of the litter left in Leeds after Leeds United's promotion celebrations.
Just a fraction of the litter left in Leeds after Leeds United's promotion celebrations.

When visiting my family in Leeds and Harrogate I often take day trips out to Dales, North York Moors and the coast. Litter is everywhere.

The mentality of not just the younger generation but their parents is responsible for the demise of our beautiful countryside. It’s a shame. Governments have done nothing about this problem for over 50 years at least.

I was in the Lakes last year and, at the side of a road, a litter bin was full and the public just left their litter at the side of the bin. Unbelievable.

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Rant over. Good luck with getting something done. It’s not just litter in the UK. It has so many other issues. I’m pleased my kids are over here with me (I hate to say this by the way).

Disgusting behaviour

From: Barry Foster, High Stakesby, Whitby.

REGARDING the recent news report on the court hearing of PC Andrew Harper’s death (The Yorkshire Post, July 25). It was, to say the least, stomach-churning and the behaviour of those involved and their supporters was nothing but disgusting.

If Boris Johnson is going to do anything for our country, he should start by bringing back better behaviour in schools.

From: Christine McDade, Morton on Swale.

SERVING and retired police officers (myself included), and any decent member of the public, must have been horrified at the brutal death of PC Andrew Harper last year.

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The convictions of Henry Long, Albert Bowers and Jessie Cole for manslaughter rather than murder is a travesty of justice.

We in Britain take pride in our legal system, believing it to be the best in the world, but mistakes are made, and when they are, they make us ashamed.

Editor’s note: first and foremost - and rarely have I written down these words with more sincerity - I hope this finds you well.

Almost certainly you are here because you value the quality and the integrity of the journalism produced by The Yorkshire Post’s journalists - almost all of which live alongside you in Yorkshire, spending the wages they earn with Yorkshire businesses - who last year took this title to the industry watchdog’s Most Trusted Newspaper in Britain accolade.

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And that is why I must make an urgent request of you: as advertising revenue declines, your support becomes evermore crucial to the maintenance of the journalistic standards expected of The Yorkshire Post. If you can, safely, please buy a paper or take up a subscription. We want to continue to make you proud of Yorkshire’s National Newspaper but we are going to need your help.

Postal subscription copies can be ordered by calling 0330 4030066 or by emailing [email protected]. Vouchers, to be exchanged at retail sales outlets - our newsagents need you, too - can be subscribed to by contacting subscriptions on 0330 1235950 or by visiting www.localsubsplus.co.uk where you should select The Yorkshire Post from the list of titles available.

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Sincerely. Thank you.

James Mitchinson

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