Litter and rural Ireland

Sir, – You report that "Litter in Irish cities worsens to levels 'not seen in 10 years'" (News, October 18th).

I am sure that the same is true of rural Ireland, where many roads resemble linear rubbish dumps.

Since June 2020, on my morning walks around a tiny corner of Co Leitrim, taking the same 5.7km route every day, I have picked up 802 pieces of litter.

My haul includes glass and plastic bottles, metal cans, coffee cups, food and sweet wrappings, cigarette cartons, animal-feed sacks, silage wrapping, masks, veterinary gloves, as well as sacks of domestic waste. More rubbish lies buried in hedges and ditches, ready to be disinterred next time a road is resurfaced or a hedge is cut or a ditch is cleared.

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The other roads around my village are similarly burdened.

Who is responsible? Why do they do it? – Yours, etc,

BRIAN ANTHONY,

Kinlough, Co Leitrim.