This week I’m sure many readers will be making some New Year resolutions - can I please appeal to you that it will be to make our homes and our surroundings a better and tidier place to live by ridding ourselves of this blight - LITTER!

Not only to think before discarding litter but to take pride in and around our properties, whether it be owned or rented by a private landlord or housing association, it really doesn’t take much time or effort to keep the outside area of your dwelling tidy.

We do not want our towns and villages looking like a third world slum and we are in danger of that happening.

In our road in Hazlemere, I have, on more than one occasion, found McDonald’s bags containing leftovers in the middle of the road obviously dumped from a vehicle, as the nearest McDonald’s is in the town centre.

It is not only litter that sullies the area, parking on pavements seems to be coming an epidemic but worst of all parking on soft verges.

One can’t help but notice the mountains of rubbish that are on the grass verges adjacent to roundabouts and slip roads from dual-carriageways and motorways; it can only have been discarded from vehicles.

So to everyone, please give more thought to the way that our towns, villages and countryside looks and do your small bit to make it look a better place.

Roy E Craig, Hazlemere