WALKING along Goodramgate I noticed several pieces of litter in the street. I picked it up and looked for a bin nearby (and, yes, there was one) in which to place the plastic carrier bags, brown paper bags, newspaper, etc. So I did what my “responsible citizen” thing and admired immediate ‘wow effect’ for that bit of Tarmac.

Unfortunately, my joy was short-lived. Along came a City of York van, emptying the almost overflowing bin and – you can probably guess the rest – the litter ended up in the street again and even more than to start with. After pointing this out to the gentleman ‘at work’, it became clear to me that his job was to empty the bins only – nothing more, nothing less. This little incident taught me a valuable lesson: never to pick up other people’s litter in this city again.

Barbara Hudson, Badger Hill, York.