Sir - Further to Roger Morton's excellent letter Dreadful collection (November 16), which highlights the complete indifference of our locally elected representatives to the increasingly visible presence of litter and other detritus in our streets, all as a direct result of the removal of the weekly refuse collection.

What has been unannounced by the council is the removal of any form of street sweeping to clear up the mess caused as a consequence of this ill-conceived policy. Granted, there are the occasional litter picking patrols on busy thoroughfares (though few on a Sunday) and none in side streets. Before councillor Fooks removed our weekly collection we had regular (I hesitate to say weekly, sometimes it was, sometimes it wasn't) visits from the road sweeping lorry on the day of our rubbish collection - somewhat bizarrely before the bin men had been!

Nowadays the road sweeping lorry never visits, as evidenced by the fact that plastic, empty cans, paper and glass are easily found on any street and also by the fact that the leaf fall is turning to mulch in the gutter and on the pavements. Incidentally, this mulch will serve to clog our ill-maintained drains further and thus exacerbate localised flooding during heavy or prolonged, but not exceptional, rain. Perhaps our 'executive' councillor Fooks would like to explain why the regular lorry sweep has been removed? If not, what is her role, or is part of her campaign to wilfully make this city unattractive, as well as filthy and unhygienic to citizens and visitors alike?

Simon Jefferson Oxford