OVER recent weeks you have been reporting the efforts of groups of litter pickers to tidy up many beaches and sites in the county.

The problem is that, within weeks or even days, the litter throwers have started the process of making places filthy again and, until the next big effort to get a place clean, litter builds up. Litter picking needs to be a continuous process to be effective.

There is, somewhat surprisingly, a workforce available for daily litter picking.

Whenever we walk our dog, I take a small carrier bag and a ‘grabber’ (available for about £1.50 in cut-price shops) and pick up any litter that has appeared since the previous day. (Carrying a carrier bag has another advantage – it avoids carrying bags of dog poo in your fingers).

All dog owners walk dogs every day so a special effort is not required and the amount that has to be removed gets less as regular picking takes place. So here’s a suggestion for dog owners who want to counter the relentless whinging directed at dogs and owners – become a PAL – a Petowner Against Litter – and help to keep our County tidy.

MICHAEL S HOWELLS

Mastlebridge