YP Letters: Harrogate's footpaths are in an appalling state

HARROGATE is a wonderful town with magnificent gardens, the Stray, together with lovely historical buildings, a town known for its beauty attracting people from far and wide.

I am sure that I speak collectively in saying that we are all justly proud of it – until that is it comes to the appalling state of the footpaths and walkways in the town centre.

They are worthy of a run-down back street in a city. I understood that some years ago a cleaning machine for the above was purchased at a vast sum of money – where is it? The telephone boxes are disgusting, as are the waste bins, and yet bollards are beautifully painted, which only goes to emphasise the dirt and mess everywhere else.

I feel that as so many properties are empty it is all the more important to attend to these problems to continue to encourage our tourists and possibly people to take over the empty shops – no one will if the remainder of the town isn’t kept up too. Come on, council, take a look and do something about it.