Littering motorists are trashing the countryside

I had to look out of the bus window twice, to make sure I was seeing right.

I’ve grumbled about the huge increase in bottles and cans strewn on the side of the country lane leading to my allotment.

Littering has got much worse during lockdown, and I lamented there was nobody to pick it up, as they do in nearby Lothersdale. But lo and behold, here was a middle-aged lady braving the traffic, picking up the trash with one of those retractable litter-grabbers. Bravo! She dragged a big plastic bin-liner behind her, bulging with the detritus of our throwaway culture.

My heart leapt up, not with the daffodils nodding their heads in sprightly dance on the verges, but for the courage and devotion of this local woman. She filled three bags in three hours, a sterling effort ahead of the big Easter Pick-up the parish council is mounting at the weekend. Community action, love it.

Trouble is, I fear the rubbish will soon be back. Two million pieces of litter are dropped every day in the UK, and it costs £1 billion a year to clean the streets.

There is a law against throwing litter out of cars, but selfish motorists don’t care. The grass verge is their dustbin. In city centres, they might get caught and given an £80 fixed penalty. In the countryside the risk of punishment is zero. That’s why they do it, instead of taking their rubbish home.

There is just one ray of hope. When the pubs reopen, these litter louts will probably do their drinking where there are staff to clear up after them.

Another reason to look forward to April 12, Magnificent Monday, our date with John Barleycorn.