I REFER to Thursday’s Long Letter from Frances Smith referencing roadside rubbish, and predict a considerable increase in this this summer in the Highlands.

This is due to an ill-thought-out restriction on the nature and type of transport being allowed to be used by members of the public for the transportation of said refuse to recycling centres. Highland Council have decided in their wisdom to restrict the size of trailers and other vehicles they will accept at these centres.

For many years I have taken my garden refuse, ie grass cuttings, hedge trimmings and occasional items of furniture to these centres in my own trailer, being a responsible citizen.

READ MORE: Nothing ruins a nice walk like a hedge stuffed with rubbish

I have now been informed that my trailer is no longer acceptable as it has two axles plus it is 10ft long. It will not matter what the contents are, just that it does not meet the dimensions laid out, with only one axle being allowed and 8ft length. In order that I can continue to take my items down to the centre I will require to buy a smaller trailer. The excuse given is the change is to prevent commercial waste being taken in which should be paid for. The fact that I am a 74-year-old pensioner apparently makes no difference, I have contacted three councillors on this, and received sympathy but no progress. I forecast a massive increase in “fly tipping” which will have to be cleared by council staff, with the material going into the council centres anyway.

Allan Martin
Farr, Inverness-shire

EXCELLENT letter from Frances Smith regarding litter. It is just under 1km from my bothy to the local train station. There is about a ton of rubbish to be viewed en route. 90% of it deliberately thown out, particularly on the railway embankment. Someone has been “kind” enough to place a mattress by the side of the path. I can only guess this is in case anyone is overcome by emotion and needs to lie down.

I recall in the 1960s that council tenants in this town, perhaps other places too, could be evicted if their garden was not kept tidy. Where and why did we allow our standards to fall below third world status?

Bryan Clark
Maybole, Ayrshire

THE long letter from Frances Smith will have struck a chord with the majority of your readers.

The situation with fly tipping in this beautiful little land that we are all privileged to live in is nothing short of a national shame.

Recently I drove from the north-east of Scotland to the Borders. I doubt if there was a metre of the road verges on the whole journey that was not defaced with takeaway rubbish. There is only one source this could have come from: out of vehicle windows.

As a wild trout angler, I visit some of the most beautiful and remote parts of Scotland. Surely they should be pristine? Nah, the morons have been there before me. They can carry twenty cans of lager in full. Taking them out empty? No chance. Personally I’m sick of it.

I am sick fed up with politicians ignoring this disgrace. They travel the same highways and byways as the rest of us. Either they are blind or they don’t care.

Trashing our environment should be just as unacceptable as smoking in public places and drink-driving. There are penalties for breaking these laws. We need proper penalties to stop this litter embarrassment.

A camera 120 miles above Mother Earth can home in on anything no more than a metre wide. A camera on a roadside can catch you speeding. It is well within the wit of man to have a camera that catches the litter morons. Three points on the licence and a £200 fine would clean up our problem in jig time. Fly-tipping? Vehicle confiscation. They would think twice about not going to the recycling centre.

Our politicians witter on about education being the answer. It’s not working. Let’s have a little less carrot and a lot more stick. They would be onto a vote winner.

David Smart
Brechin

THE never-ending (almost manic) media coverage of the royal family is so akin to Scotland’s struggle and an unlikely source of inspiration. Although not intended, it does give me some encouragement to our predicament.

The recent royal headlines – “A way forward must be found”, “I believe they should make their own decision of what their future should be”, “It’s hoped next steps will be agreed”, “There are complex matters to resolve”, “Financial independence could be a sticking point” – are all relevant to our battle with Boris and demands for indyref 2020. But more importantly, if Harry and Meghan can break away from a relationship that’s smothering them, we certainly can too.

Prince William’s telling comments also could be construed to be relevant when he talks about challenges: “We need to move forward rather than being stuck in paralysis and pretend they don’t happen”. Boris, please take heed!

Robin MacLean
Fort Augustus