LETTER: Nelson’s litter, dog fouling and rubbish dumping disgrace

My chosen route was to be from Surrey Road, through the tunnel under the motorway, up Pendle Street, down Norfolk Street and along the towpath as far as Lomeshaye and then through the industrial estate.

I had barely walked 50 yards when I questioned the wisdom of my decision.

The tunnel under the motorway was ankle-deep in grease-stained bags, crisp packets, plastic trays and bottles.

The perpetrators are students from Nelson and Colne College, who after eating the pies, pasties, sandwiches and drinks they have bought in town, throw the wrappings on the floor.

They could put their rubbish in a bin just a couple of yards from the tunnel’s Pendle Street entrance, but it seems this is too far for them to walk so they just drop it.

I am not familiar with the courses taught at the college, but it is obvious there is not one about environmental responsibility.

If the tunnel was bad, the canal was 10 times worse. To begin with there were so many heaps of dog dirt the stretch opposite Yarnspinners Health Centre resembled a mountain range. (There is no shortage of poop scoop bins, by the way!)

Next, every conceivable item of rubbish from tin cans to TV sets and cycles to shopping trolleys could be seen on the banks, in the water and festering in the undergrowth.

While some of the plastic bags, food trays etc will have been blown there by the wind, judging by other rubbish I saw, it is more than obvious tradespeople and householders take full advantage of streets which have a close proximity to both sides of the canal to throw bags of rubbish over the walls/railings onto the banks or into the water.

More detritus was to follow when I left the towpath. The building of the motorway turned Lomeshaye Road into a cul-de-sac, which judging by the amount of trays, bags, bottles and rotting fried chicken and pizzas lying around, is a favourite haunt for fast food junkies.

As far as the Lomeshaye Industrial Estate is concerned, well, it is better than it was, but it is patently obvious the management of many companies on the estate still pay scant heed to keeping the area around their premises tidy.

Also, if my memory serves me right, some years ago, the owners of the estate were given a grant of a quarter of a million pounds to keep the estate and its environs clean and green. I wonder what happened to that.

Many will look at the mess, shake their heads and say the council or British Waterways could do more to deal with the problem.

Well maybe they could, but if the rubbish wasn’t there in the first place, they would not have to clear it away.

All the blame for the mess should be heaped on the lazy students, the anti-social trades people, the “could not care less” householders, the irresponsible dog owners, and the brain dead brigade who think dumping rubbish and food out of their car window is funny.

I am under no illusions this letter will shame any of those mentioned into behaving more responsibly.

Why? Well as my old gran used to say: “Where there’s no sense, there’s no feeling.”

“BIN IT”

(Name and address supplied)