Dear Editor,It is great to see volunteers and children trying to keep our county, and Ross-on-Wye town, free of litter.

A task I have also done in the past. It is a thankless and dangerous job and so disheartening for the volunteers as the litter issue gets worse each year.

The contractors who look after the roadsides don’t help by shredding the litter when grass cutting the verges. One sandwich pack gets shredded into four or more pieces.

Recently the roundabouts and main road from Ross to Monmouth looked like dustbin bags had been emptied onto the roadside after the verges were cut.

This has been happening for years and it gets worse.

Yesterday I was appalled by all the cigarette butts and litter along the kerbsides in Ross-on-Wye, outside Peacocks, Aldi, the coffee shops and the Spar store where people who clearly have varying economic status with nothing to do or any focus in life congregate. The numbers of these in Ross will increase of course with more and more unfortunate people being rehoused in this rural area, so this issue is only going to get much worse. It needs to be tackled now. But how?

It’s a pity they can’t be tasked with cleaning the streets or making some other contribution, rather than loitering and littering. They may wish to do something useful?

Ross on-Wye could be a lovely historic tourist attraction and its important for the local businesses to be operating in an environment that reflects the Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty status to attract future and local visitors and to ensure we have a thriving town. It doesn’t take long for a negative view to be formed.

In fact one of my friends said:?“It’s as though people are falling out of love with Ross as the town centre is getting so grubby.”

If only the County Council and the civil servants had managed the budgets better we would have County and Town employed street cleaners and litter collectors.

Its a question for councillors when the next election comes.

We can always wait until the next school holidays and give child volunteers brushes to sweep the streets and pavements of Ross more regularly after we send them back up chimneys of course.

Doug Skeggs, Weston