I’m going to have a moan about a group of people in Taunton who really get my goat, writes Phil Hill.
After I’ve chipped in my two penn’orth, I’ll tell you about some people who are literally clearing up the culprits’ mess.
But, before I get into full flow, I should make clear I’m not one of those who shout about how great everything was "in my day."
Were years gone by really the ‘golden age’ some rose-tinted spectacle wearers make them out to have been?
What I would have given for a computer, rather than checking an encyclopaedia for my homework; a calculator, instead of a slide rule; central heating beats a coal fire in just one room of the house; what about a shower, as well as a bath?; a family car, for when I was too tired to cycle to school; a mobile phone, rather than a landline and camera; a colour television with programmes on demand, much better than a fuzzy black and white set.
So, to the point.
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Walk along just about any street in our town, and you’re sure to notice rubbish strewn across pavements.
Cigarette butts littering areas outside pubs and workplaces; takeaway food wrappers blowing down the road; I’ve seen discarded broken umbrellas, items of clothing, unopened letters, backpacks, and half-full beer glasses.
Parents and primary school teachers used to instil in children a sense of pride in their communities.
Littering was a serious no-no.
You would rarely stumble across litter in local towns and villages.
A Keep Britain Tidy campaign was launched in the 50s; later celebrities such as ABBA, The Bee Gees and Morecambe and Wise advocated keeping the country clean; Margaret Thatcher launched an anti-litter push with the slogan ‘Bag it and Bin it’, appointing Richard Branson as Britain’s ‘litter tsar.’
Nowadays, a number of public spirited individuals do their bit to try to tackle the problem of rubbish dumped on our streets.
It’s not uncommon to spot the odd person roaming around with a litter pick in hand and a large plastic bag full of what they have collected.
We owe these people a big thank you, but best of all, it would be preferable to make their efforts redundant by endeavouring to Keep Somerset Tidy.
