Pages 1 and 2 of May 27 issue reported on the serious and costly habit of fly tipping and illegal disposal of rubbish and waste. The message was driven home by 'Angry' headlines and images of the offending rubbish.

But is this a missed opportunity? Where were the close up images of potentially incriminating waste items, such documents with addresses, receipts, or distinctive carpet or tile patterns, or recognisable stickers on fridge doors, or any small clue that might lead to identifying the owners of the rubbish?

Owners of discarded rubbish must share some responsibility for its illegal disposal by virtue of not having checked the credentials of the disposer, and although I'm not suggesting that any action should be taken directly against them (unless, of course, they personally dumped the rubbish), I am suggesting that they could be instrumental in the identification, apprehension, and subsequent punishment of those individuals who continue to illegally despoil our countryside with impunity.

Recognition of disposed items by readers of the the Stroud News would be a vital tool in tracing fly-tippers, but only if identifiable photos are published in the first place.

And may be - just may be, if there was the risk that your rubbish might appear on the front of a newspaper, you might be more careful on how you dispose of your waste.

Bill Mesley

Whiteshill