Any publicity regarding the litter problem is always welcome and like many other people I find it quite depressing to see so much discarded rubbish on our streets and in our hedgerows.

There seems to have been an effort to clean up the town centre recently but unfortunately the litter problem does not end there.

I frequently walk the pathways and cycle paths which run from Caraway Drive down to Taw Hill and Moulden Hill and in the other direction across the footbridge spanning Westfield Way and on to Moredon. However, there are no litter bins at all along these pathways.

A seat has been placed at the top of the hill which overlooks Taw and Moulden Hill which should be an enjoyable place to sit. Unfortunately, this area is constantly being spoiled by litter.

The area is covered with a carpet of broken glass, bottles, tins, snack wrappings etc and the same can be said for the pathways where the hedgerows are filled with rubbish.

When the new Moulden Hill facility is completed then the problem will extend there with more visitors to the area.

The problem is not going to disappear and if there are always going to be limited funds available to clean up Swindon and the inability to sort the problem out by law enforcement then surely the answer must lie in pro-active measures.

Suggested ideas are:

1. Concerted effort for a Clean Up Swindon campaign (also suggested in EA, March 12).

2. Bombard residents with the message until they positively respond to the problem.

3. Education of children at a very early age through campaigns at the schools to take their litter home and not drop rubbish wherever they happen to be standing at the time. Young school children and teenagers do seem to be the main culprits.

4. Education of parents through the campaign to understand that litter problems will actually hit their pockets with the extra expenditure needed to clean it up. Also they have a responsibility to teach their children to not drop litter and to take pride in their surroundings.

5. Education of everybody to take pride in the town and surrounding areas so that it can be a nice place to live and not the scruffy town it is at present.

6. Litter bins at strategic points such as: scenic areas where there is seating, bus stops, pathways through housing estates.

Perhaps our local councillors could take a more personal active role in this campaign and not just leave the problem with Borough officers.

Jenny Backshell

Caraway Drive