You are the problem

In 2007 when Sheffield was badly flooded we could not have stopped the water but the extent of the damage could have been minimised if our attitude to litter and debris hadn’t been “it’s someone else’s job”.

For centuries our rivers were kept clear because we needed the power of the water to drive wheels.

When it was no longer required the need to move debris and litter were ignored.

We no longer saw the need to keep gulleys clear, many remaining blocked for years (two on West Street blocked for six years to my knowledge) litter often the culprit along with grass verges not cut for weeks, cuttings not removed, seed in the gutters, another flooded road.

At our local school it was decided that infant and junior school children should go out in our neighbourhood and pick litter.

Good you might think, but no, instead senior children thought it didn’t matter if they dropped litter and the juniors thought that when they became seniors they could start dropping litter, so no example was set.

These are now adults who are probably now not teaching their own children not to drop litter, that blocks the gulleys that don’t get cleared out that then flood your roads.

We do not need money spending on fancy new flood defences, we just need a return to understanding what we have allowed to go wrong.

Owlerton, for example, is a flood plain, so making sure all drains are kept clear, the river clear of debris is a must for this area.

Remember, when you drop litter or don’t clear up after your dog you are the problem, not someone else.

S Thompson

by email