THE amount of rubbish being deposited on some of our roads is simply appalling. In my own part of Herefordshire there are drink cans, food wrappers, bottles and other items either dropped at the side of the road (or in my garden!) or thrown from passing cars. They act as a disfigurement to an otherwise very attractive county.

What to do?

Our district council is cutting back on essential services and obviously cannot afford to take care of minor problems such as litter. Organised litter picks have been very successful in a number of areas but they require specialised equipment and high-visibility jackets and have to conform to various rules.

In this day and age I wouldn’t be at all surprised if hard hats, insurance and reinforced footwear were also specified.

The town of Frome in Somerset - no relation to our own Frome Valley - had a massive clean-up operation in November.

Afterwards, town clerk Paul Wynne said that “If everyone picked up just one piece of rubbish and put it in the bin every day, our town would be spotless.”

Could we not introduce a similar scheme for Herefordshire? While walking to the local shop, school or workplace, if we were each to pick up one can, or one food container it would make a huge difference to our surroundings.

There would be no impact on council tax, there would be no need for expensive clothing and ‘health and safety’ precautions, and it would give each participant a sense of personal satisfaction at having struck back against the litter louts who have no interest in their surroundings.

I picked up my first piece of rubbish this morning. Maybe this could become an official campaign?

MARTIN FIELD, Burley Gate, Hereford