IN response to Jackie Armitage's letter (June 12), why has the council introduced new measures before providing the citizens and visitors to York facilities to help them dispose of their litter in a responsible manner?

As far as I am aware there are only a handful of cigarette-stub disposal points in the city centre, and probably none outside of the centre.

There are none at bus stops or other areas where people wait and tend to smoke.

Places where people wait are important areas for targeting litter of all sorts, yet the city's provision of disposal bins is woeful.

Are smokers expected to throw their cigarette ends into wastebins around the city?

I expect the fire service is very impressed with this, or is the city council going to provide extinguishers next to every bin?

Litter is not nice and proper disposal should be encouraged, but once again the council jumps first without looking.

Clive Appleyard,

Westminster Road,

York.

...THE principle of a city free of litter, including cigarette ends, is laudable.

After implementing a policy which actively encourages around 30 per cent of residents and visitors to deposit burning material in bins full of paper and grease-soaked fast food wrapping, it is good to know City of York Council is now considering the basics and is "looking into adapting litter bins" (Letters, June 12).

In the meantime, I shall be very careful about where I park my car, especially when it has a full tank of petrol.

Keith Wellburn

The Village,

Strensall,

York.

Updated: 10:02 Tuesday, June 15, 2004