Barbury… Glorious, but the litter

Sirs,

We are three visitors with one dog who today started the Ridgeway walk. Glorious views, buttercup meadows, rolling hills, warm weather and… litter.

We had the misfortune to arrive at the Barbury Castle picnic site and were met with the most vile, disgusting amount of litter we’ve seen in our lives. There were about a dozen bins, all full to overflowing, litter, poo bags on top of the bins, on the ground. The accompanying pic shows how it was.

As we live 300 miles away it shouldn’t really bother me too much but I’m sorry, it did. It was simply awful. I doubt if the bins had been emptied this year. What do visitors from overseas think? What do locals think? Well, one that I asked just seemed resigned to it. They’d probably given up asking.

I rang Marlborough Council. They said it was the responsibility of Swindon Council who in turn said it was the responsibility of Wiltshire Council. I rang Swindon back and a flustered employee had the answer. She hung up on me.

You couldn’t make all this up. I gave up and walked on. I did try.

Yours,

Martin Clark
Tyneside