We’ve lots to learn from the French

✒ HAVING recently returned from France – and as many of your readers will know, I am no Francophile – I must admit that certain aspects of the French way of life demonstrate that this country has a lot to learn in keeping the population reasonably happy.

For a start, parking your car in the UK has always been a rip-off championed by every local authority to top up their coffers.

In the Brittany tourist town of Dinan and the seaside town of Dinard, parking for the first hour was free, and free all day on Sundays and public holidays. Both towns were heaving with out-oftown visitors. I’m told that this is a nationwide trend in France.

Banks were plentiful in every large and small town throughout France. Even in small villages you could find a bank, whereas in this country you are lucky to find a bank even on a Monopoly board.

Public toilets abound even in the smallest villages, thus serving the public who pay their local taxes.

However, there is one thing where we beat the French hands down, which should make us very proud as a nation. With all the thousands of people milling around their towns and seasides, it was hard to find any litter blighting the environment.

When it comes to litter slobbery we can beat the French hands down. Makes you proud to be British.

Edward Kynaston Lydney