Sir, I walked the Ardblair Trail, a marked walk around Blairgowrie, one morning recently and between the Essendy Road and Dunkeld Road section of the walk I came across a disgusting “tree decoration” a full green dog poo bag hanging in a hawthorn bush.
Clearly some dog owners, maybe like their dogs, are only half trained.
They scoop the poop and put it in a plastic bag and then think it’s okay to either leave it or throw it away rather than putting it in one of the bins distributed regularly along the walk.
They have converted an unacceptable biodegradable waste (dog poo) into a non- biodegradable toxic litter problem (dog poo in a plastic bag).
I urge all dog owners who are out regularly enjoying our environment to be more considerate and bin all litter and waste from whatever source, and if possible pick up any litter that they see and put it in the next bin they come to. The latter point applies to all of us, of course, and if we all did that all our environments, wherever we live, would be all the better for it.
Stuart Nichol. Trustee of Charity Keep Scotland Beautiful, 38 Moyness Park Drive, Blairgowrie.
Underhand council tactics
Sir, I was disgusted to see that the local council had acted in an underhand manner by felling the tree at Perth Academy over the weekend.
Can I suggest to the pupils and other community members who were opposed to the move that, when the costly new sports pitch is completed, they refuse to make use of it and leave the council with egg on their faces and a requirement to find paying users for their white elephant?
C R Garland. 102 Califer Road, Forres.
Putting tree in danger
Sir, In my view. having read such an interesting article on the subject of Niel Gow’s Oak, was it not a little dangerous to publish a photograph?
Surely someone, from Perth and Kinross District Council will spot this and decide it is a danger to passing fishermen in boats or that they need to build a landing stage where it is located and subsequently the tree will be cut down early on a Sunday morning.
A little thought before publishing photographs is needed otherwise the tree will have to be withdrawn from the European Tree of the Year contest!
Douglas Graham. The Cottage, Alyth Road, Meigle.
Can’t we see it coming?
Sir, On Radio 2 recently I listened to an Englishman rant on about how it was about time they got rid of us “suckling on the breast of England” and I wondered, who can blame him?
No one at Westminster has done anything other than allow the belief that Scotland is a drain on the “English” treasury. He obviously hasn’t stopped to ask why Westminster is so desperate to retain the union, given that we are so worthless?
With the approaching referendum is it not time that we all and I mean “all” were given unassailable facts instead of all the slanging matches we have, in order to make a responsible decision?
Take what would seem to be the latest carrot, Portsmouth closed and the Clyde partly saved. Who in their right mind could not foresee that, in the event of a “no” vote, these jobs “disappearing” back to Portsmouth quicker than snow off a dyke . . . remember Rosyth and the submarines.
Portsmouth is as important to the English (and rightly so), as the Clyde is to Scots, so why can’t we see it? Why should we allow career politicians with absolutely no idea of the real world, who daily plant their well-subsidised backsides in well-subsidised bars and restaurants, to decide our future?
It’s certainly beyond me.
Garry Stewart. Springbank, Clayholes, By Carnoustie.
Who guesses the numbers?
Sir, So, empty car park spaces in council car parks in Dundee have cost the council £ 356,000 this year.
If this is true then what in heaven’s name would be the point in building park and ride places on the outskirts which would reduce even further the use of town centre car parks?
Also I get an uneasy feeling every time I read of estimates for the numbers of extra visitors to the city when this V & A museum opens.
Who makes these guesses and are they ever accurate like the numbers who were estimated to use perimeter park and ride spaces?
Alex Halliburton. 4 Kingfisher Place, Dundee.