READING Lawrence James’ letter criticising the city council for taking action on irresponsible dog owners in last Friday’s Oxford Mail, I initially found myself chuckling along, thinking he was parodying the attitudes of the small-minded and selfish.

But, halfway through his rant, I realised he was being serious.

Will he, I wonder, be quite so scathing of the forces of “negation and joylessness” next time he, or, heaven forbid, a child in his charge finds themselves soiled by canine filth in a public park?

The ferocity with which the dog-owning mafia have attacked the council for its tiny, yet entirely laudable, steps in cracking down on those who let their mutts run wild, despoiling our open spaces, and terrifying children, the elderly and other pets, has been remarkable.

If they were reasonable people, who were not doing anything wrong, surely they should welcome such moves to single out the antisocial among their ranks. One can only wonder at their motives for failing to do so.

But if anyone from the council is reading this, please be reassured that we, the silent majority, applaud you for trying to make Oxford’s parks nicer and safer for all.

Gordon husband, North Oxford