MADAM, Would you rather have jobs or litter? If it's not mine and it's not your litter – whose is it? It is a complete mystery to me and everyone else I talk to. I hear people say 'it's them from out of town' and people tell me no one in Herefordshire can be responsible for this.

I detest seeing my Council Tax being wasted on having to clear up after the perpetrators. Those who are responsible should hang their heads in shame. The rest of us are paying for their lack of pride and disregard for their country, community and fellow citizens.

What is it that leads these mysterious beings to believe that their behaviour is remotely acceptable and who do they think will clear up after them? Are their homes and gardens full of litter too? Are their trees decorated with tatty plastic streamers that wave at passersby in the breeze before wafting away and threatening livestock and taking hundreds of years to decompose?

Maybe those who steal our signage for scrap could turn their talents to gathering the thousands of aluminium cans that adorn our countryside.

At a time when all of us are under increasing financial pressures why do we continue to carry on as always. We pay our Council Tax, they throw litter down, we complain that the litter is not picked up often enough, Amey use our Council Taxes to cone the roads off, organise a litter collection exercise, pay for it to be disposed of, we remark upon how much better it looks afterwards and the cycle starts again....they throw the litter down! It is the proverbial Forth Bridge.

Are those who commit this scandalous act intelligent enough to understand that while the Council is spending money on clearing litter they jeopardise precious jobs and services. It may come as a surprise but yes they really are paying to have someone pick their rubbish up and yes, you really can only spend a pound once!

Why do we continue to tolerate this anti-social behaviour and why do we not introduce more severe penalties for the offenders?

In the meantime should anyone wish to observe the problem at first hand they can do so from the comfort of the finely upholstered armchair at the side of the A40 approaching Pencraig but remember to wear your fluorescent jacket.

Russell B Hamilton, Bridstow