Step carefully

PEOPLE keep telling me about paths that they are not happy with. One chap who gets about on an electric scooter is now having to make quite a detour on one of his journeys because even at his travelling height the bushes and branches that reach over from Red House Gardens on to Fordham Road make it very difficult to pass by unhampered. There's not much point in having a nice wide path if you can't use most of it.

A lady who uses a frame on wheels to help her get about had a word the other day about the roadway from Gardeners Lane to the Rec. She was wondering if it would be possible to get a smooth strip maintained along it as it can be a bit difficult to negotiate the potholes when you are relying on small wheels. She needs to get to the Pavilion once a week for the Over-60s Club and, like most people of her generation, wants to make her own way. The least we can do is help people to help themselves.

On some paths you have to step very carefully. The eastern side of Sand Street was a definite case in point the other week. Unfortunately you have to accept that not all dog owners have the interests of their fellow townspeople at heart. The vast majority do, and clean up after their pets, but this particular day in Sand Street someone hadn't. This thoughtless person's laziness paled into insignificance a few yards further on. Right in the middle of the path were piles of evidence that a horse had passed by recently. We appreciate the generosity of the horse owner, but we're not all rose growers, you know, and it would be nice if you could restrain your mount from leaving muck where children will be passing.

One last path, I promise. There is an alleyway from Martin Close to Townsend, which is quite popular with dog walkers. Now this bunch are pretty good as far as clearing up is concerned, but with the absence of a bin in the vicinity, they tend to drop the bags on the path. If there is no bin, it would be nice if the bags could be disposed of at home.