Letter from the editor: Normal rules apply so stop deliberately ignoring them

It might feel like everything has changed and normal rules do not apply, but that isn’t quite the case.
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We are all having to follow guidelines which stop the normal pattern of our lives but there is much that remains the same. I am talking about fairly basic things and topics which come up regularly whether we are in the midst of a pandemic or not.

My particular bugbear today is flytipping.

I have just received an email with some photos which would make any reasonably minded person feel angry. We have had several such images sent to us in recent days and weeks, covering every area of Sheffield and beyond.

Clay Wheels Lane walk was spoilt by the amount of household rubbish discarded with abandon by the roadside along the way and in the woods themselves.Clay Wheels Lane walk was spoilt by the amount of household rubbish discarded with abandon by the roadside along the way and in the woods themselves.
Clay Wheels Lane walk was spoilt by the amount of household rubbish discarded with abandon by the roadside along the way and in the woods themselves.
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This particular one focused on the area around Clay Wheels Lane and Middlewood. There, all dumped around a No Tipping sign, were all kinds of litter and waste. ‘Disgusting’ was the reaction and I certainly agree.

It would seem that some people are seeing lockdown as a great excuse to stop acting like civilised human beings. They are happy to dump their rubbish wherever they please and couldn’t care less if they happen to be spoiling a beauty spot which offers a rare pleasure to families on their daily exercise.

This may be a worse issue in some areas of our city but I am not aware of any neighbourhood that hasn’t fallen victim to it recently. Please do correct me if this isn’t true of your area. That can only lead me to one conclusion, there are far too many Sheffielders who think it is acceptable. We don’t come down on them hard enough with fines or punishment and we don’t unite to condemn such actions.

Our council, police and voluntary litter pickers certainly shouldn’t have to be bothered with such disgraceful behaviour when there is a much bigger battle under way but, sadly, not everyone agrees. They are happy to endanger others not only with their rubbish but in the knowledge that somebody who should be able to stay home, will have to come out and clear it up.

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Oh, and one final point, guess who is picking up the bill? Every single on of us.

When there are so many things we don’t have control over right now, surely we should all do all we can to ensure we never worsen the situation for everyone? On this, normal rules do still apply.

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