IN THE name of Health and Safety, I have just finished sweeping the pavement at the bottom of Alexandra and Dagmar Roads, as far as Damers Road. There is no snow, so I am not breaking a local regulation. Or am I?

Three sackfuls of landfill rubbish, one sack of green waste, and a bag of unidentifiable things I classed as bin-worthy were removed and disposed of correctly..

My reasons for doing this are very simple:Fear of what my small dog might injure herself on while doing her natural canine foraging along the pavement, and the very real shame I feel at this first impression of the road I live on and like.

The difference now is splendid.

The most telling remark directed at me came from a severely disabled man, who told me: “You should not be doing this’, whether as admonition or reference to my age and gender I do not know. I jolly well should not, but no one else does.

Is it possible to put all road parking fines into the hire of one or two pavement cleaners, instead of being absorbed by the relevant council? Just a thought.

Helena Smith Dagmar Road Dorchester