Sir — Councillor John Tanner quite rightly suggests we should all stop dropping "gum, fag ends and crisp packets all year round".
However, I would suggest that in East Oxford there needs to be rather more thought put into solving the litter problem which I believe is greatly exacerbated by some of the people who live in HMOs (Houses of Multiple Occupation) who seem not to take any responsibility for their rubbish.
It is very easy to identify the (largely) student HMOs by the lack of care shown for their environment evidenced by overflowing bins, bin bags (illegal now), cans and other detritus littering the gardens and overflowing onto the pavements; the overall effect on the appearance of East Oxford streets is depressing.
Student accommodation accounts for a huge percentage of housing in East Oxford and, since students pay no council tax, it falls upon the rest of the city's tax-paying residents to foot the ever-increasing bills for cleaning the streets and collecting the rubbish. Is there not some way that the landlords of these properties could be made responsible for ensuring their front gardens are kept rubbish free? They collect the rents, live elsewhere and leave us to live in their tenants' rubbish.
Dr Jacqueline Sunderland, East Oxford
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