MADAM I am sure you will agree that the pleasant weather at the weekend was most welcome. It seems such a long time since we were able to hang the washing on the line, open the windows to smell our fresh country air and let the children play in the garden. It was therefore so disappointing that once again our enjoyment of our garden was blighted by discourteous and thoughtless people who frequently find the need to light garden bonfires during the day. The net effect of this was to turn the tumble drier on (increasing our carbon footprint in the process) and to close our windows. Children being children continued to play, however came in smelling like they had attended a Guy Fawkes party. The National Society for Clean Air and Environmental Protection (nsca) at http://www.nsca.org.uk">www.nsca.org.uk offers information on bonfires and suggests alternative activities such as composting and recycling. At the end of the day the matter of lighting a bonfire should be based on courtesy and consideration for the neighbours and other people who want to enjoy their gardens. Better still these people should do what we do (and a lot of other people do) - take your garden rubbish to the tip and support that amenity - you never know if more people use it, the tip may be open seven days a week as in other areas of the country. Sarah Bainbridge
