MY heart sank when I read the article in the Guardian, March 1, "Town's going to the dogs thanks to scum" under the nom de plume 'Dismayed.' Although 'Dismayed' indicated he/she was from Howley, the emphasis was yet again on the town and not just an area. If the town is dirty which I think it is how in God's name has Warrington council managed to achieve a Charter Mark for street cleansing and refuse collection?

The word 'scum' used by 'Dismayed' is an apt word for people who throw down litter and allow their dogs to foul but I must stress that the word must not be assumed to mean just the young. 'Dismayed' was drawing a picture of 85 per cent of the inhabitants of England and that is old as well as young, posh as well as scruffy, clever as well as thick, good as well as bad and many of us fit into those categories nicely.

What makes me ashamed is how the scum are the first to point their fingers at foreigners for being so-called dirty. How hypocritical and unfair. Being widely travelled I can assure Mr and Mrs Scum that many foreigners are not filthy. In fact, they excel in their environment and in personal hygiene in particular. I quote a notice hanging in Warrington Hospital: "Please bathe and change your underclothing before visiting your doctor. You may be asked to undress." How disgusting. What scum. How very, very modern British.

To quote Clr Roy Smith and his article: "If you want to improve services you've got to pay for them." Wise words, and words that should echo in all our ears when politicians are bribing us with tax cuts for a vote. If you want a cleaner town then tax cuts are the last thing you'll want. Warrington has to invest in modern machinery. They need suckers and I don't mean those on two legs but moderate-sized vehicles acting like a giant vacuum cleaner with lightweight tubes for manoeuvrability.

Recently I observed several men from direct services picking up litter with tweezers. It took me back to the days when I was at school and had a pomegranate and needle. It took hours to eat, just as it took them hours to pick up bits of paper with unrealistic tools. Two men and the correct machinery would have had the job done in a fraction of the time. A penny in the pound tax cut to a poor man adds up to nothing but to a rich man it adds up to quite a lot. And so the rich would benefit again and would still get their streets cleaned more than the poor man would. Stick the cuts and stick to your guns.

ASHAMED

Padgate