TWO weekends ago, returning from my morning walk from my newsagents, I turned on our drive and twisted my back.

It was quite painful, and after a couple of hours of pain, my wife suggested I try taking a walk to see if it would improve it. So I took my trusty walking stick and set off down our road.

As it seemed to ease the discomfort, I continued my walk along roads that I never usually go along. What I observed, surprised and at times disgusted me – gardens uncared for, lawns that had not seen a lawn mower for years, wheelie bins on the pavement overflowing with rubbish, with several black bags of rubbish next to them. Yet the wheelie bin lorry is not due for nearly a week.

As I carried on with my walk, I saw rubbish outside houses, tin cans on the road, I noticed a couple of hedges sprawling across the path, and then two vans parked on the pavement, right up against their garden wall, forcing me, and others of course to walk on the round around them.

How do they get away with it, why don’t the police have a drive around Totteridge and tell the ignorant drivers that its against the law to park a vehicle completely on the pavement? How about mums with pushchairs?

Of course I saw a lot of immaculate gardens, and beautifully-kept lawns. What was interesting where the houses looked like pig sties, the house next door, usually beautifully-looked after, had a sign on it ‘For Sale’. I wondered what story they could tell about their neighbours’ habits. What is it about people, who live like this, or act like it – have they no pride, no thought for their neighbours?

It makes you wonder why they do not spend some time, clearing up their garden, mowing the lawn, clipping that over-hanging hedge.

We seem to be living in a world now, where pride has no place, that many would not want to bring children up in.

Jim Tanner, Terryfield Road, High Wycombe