ANYONE who is asked by an official to pick up litter they've just dropped, and then rudely refuses to do so, deserves their £50 fine. Bradley Agar is also wrong about cigarettes being biodegradable (Evening Press, February 14).

I collect autumn leaves from nearby streets and pavements and compost them into leaf mould. One of the most frequent contaminants are fag filters, which I riddle out and put in my bin.

Why hasn't Bradley (and all other smokers) got a little stash box/pill bottle or other portable ashtray for his smoking-related waste? Wouldn't life be a bit better if we all took a little more responsibility?

John Cossham,

Hull Road, York.

Updated: 11:34 Saturday, February 19, 2005