IT is interesting to note the growing plague of rubber bands on the pavement of the road where I live and indeed scattered around the pavements of York. Perhaps two of them are "tying the knot" and spawning a "litter" of rubber bands or maybe they are rubber bands looking for a rubber trumpet - ouch!

Of course this may be stretching things a bit far.

Intent on finding an answer to the riddle and to "tie up any loose ends", I was recently walking up Wilton Rise and then along the path to Leeman Road. Some might even say I was on the "trail of the lonesome twine".

As I was walking along I noticed several rubber bands lying on the path. As I had long suspected, these were leading me to the Royal Mail sorting office.

I believe the rubber bands to be "special deliveries" from the postal staff as they discard them from groups of letters they are delivering. As such Royal Mail is contributing to an ever-increasing litter problem on the streets of York.

If this is the case the Royal Mail should "address the problem", "apply the letter of the law" and "get a grip of its postal staff".

Mick Casto,

Wetherby Road, York.

Updated: 09:38 Monday, February 09, 2004