Enjoy the countryside but tidy up afterwards

I count myself as very fortunate that I live in a beautiful part of the Bradford district.

Indeed, virtually on my doorstep between Tim Lane and Lord Lane there is an area known locally as ‘the Clar’. This is an open space of grassland next to the river, surrounded by trees. The word ‘clar’ in this instance I think is a corruption of the word clear or clearing, which is ironic because at the moment it is far from clear.

The reason for this is linked to the wonderful spell of warm weather we enjoyed a couple of weeks ago. Each time we are blessed in this way we are further blessed by teenagers descending on the area with bags and boxes of beer, wine and food.

They also bring other home comforts such as sleeping bags, carving knives and wooden blocks, white throws, pink plastic tumblers, black plastic tote boxes. They light fires, play music, cook their food and drink their beer.

What it is to be young, to have finished school or college for the summer (quite a number of the kids I recognise from Oakbank, although not all of them) to be free to relax in the sun. I have absolutely no objection to this although if I did want to be picky I would say a number of them are drinking illegally.

I am able to write about this in such detail not because I hide behind the nearest tree and spy on their antics, but because, sadly, they leave all of their rubbish behind. Some of it is piled in one great big heap, some of it is in the river as broken glass, some of it adorns the trees as cardboard boxes.

For a number of years me and my husband, among a number of other residents, have been along and cleared up the area. The countryside wardens have also done a sterling job in clearing up although for some reason they have not dealt with the most recent onslaught.

I am not writing to complain about the lack of service from the wardens, far from it. I am writing to complain about the lack of care and respect from the young people who left their rubbish. We have made an active decision not to clear up this time, although it makes my heart sink every time I walk my dog, who incidentally can no longer go into the river to chase sticks because of the broken glass. If you are a parent who dropped your child off, or who knows your child has been to this area, please ask them to bring their rubbish back. If you are a teenager and you are reading this then please take your rubbish to the nearest bin. After all you managed to carry all the stuff there.

I suspect you haven’t given it much thought. After all each time you have returned it has been cleaned up. Please continue to enjoy yourselves but take all of your rubbish and belongings home. You are fortunate to live here. You have somewhere special to go.

SARAH BOWDEN

Springhead Mills, Oakworth

Flower bed decline is a ‘blooming’ shame

Is it my imagination or has anyone else in Keighley noticed the flower beds on our roundabouts shrinking?

The same thing has happened to the award-winning park in Haworth and it looks like this horticultural disease is continuing to spread unheeded! As I drive past I obviously have my eyes on the road and only notice the roundabouts when waiting for an opportunity to enter traffic, but it really does seem we have more grass and fewer flowers than in previous years. Is Bradford Council’s ruling Labour group really trying to save a few quid by utting back on the public flower displays?

Blooming marvellous!

Such a shame when the Council managed to achieve a £6 million underspend that our City Hall masters felt the need to pull the plug on the planting programme and potentially jeopardise our future entries into Keighley in Bloom.

COUNCILLOR GLEN MILLER

Worth Valley Ward

Upset at sight of guns during 1940s weekend

I was at Haworth on Saturday, May 19, at the 1940s weekend. On the website it said to dress in 1940s gear, so there I was in my WVS uniform and lace-up shoes!

There were quite a few people in uniform and civilians in appropriate 1940s dress, which was good, but usually at these events almost anything does whatever is in the fancy dress shop.

I do realise it wasn’t a re-enactors’ event. The streets were very crowded and I had never been to Haworth before and I did actually enjoy the day.

The point of this letter though was the things I saw that spoiled the day. There were soldiers walking around the town with guns slung over their shoulders and I saw another man pretending to shoot people with his gun. I thought all of this was very dangerous. I think the organisers should look into this.

MRS K HEWSON

Abbey Terrace Whitby, North Yorkshire

Fifth columnist ‘nuns’

In the run-up to the Second World War local defence volunteers and police, fire, ambulance services were trained to look out for fifth columnists parachuting into Britain dressed as nuns, and spent all their days on alert in the search for such infiltrators. How then is it possible, for Haworth to be teeming with Home Guard, police as well as British and American troops and for them all to fail to spot and arrest the Germans who were strutting around in full uniform?

CHRIS BRYANT

Parkway, Steeton