It is good to learn that the Council has at last begun a move to crack down on those responsible for generating the litter that defaces some areas of Bradford. The offence it causes to many people is obvious from the 6,000 households who responded to the appeal to the Bradford public to identify the worst "grot spots".

They have pointed the finger accusingly at Leeds Road, Oak Lane and Whetley Hill, with Duckworth Lane, Toller Lane and White Abbey Road also eligible for the dubious honour of being included among Bradford's top eyesores.

As Councillor Anne Hawkesworth rightly says, there seems little point in the Council introducing a new, day-long system of sweeping the streets mechanically if the people who live in the targeted areas won't work with them and in fact work against them by producing still more litter.

It is in all our interests to make Bradford look as clean, tidy and welcoming as possible. The amount of litter left on the streets can make or mar a city's reputation.

The latest patrols by enforcement officers are to concentrate on businesses which are potential rubbish creators, such as takeaways, shops selling Lottery tickets and bank cash machines which issue often-discarded receipts.

It is only right that they should be expected take the trouble to clear up any mess made by their customers as they help to create profits for them. If they don't, then perhaps the loss of some of those profits in the form of fines will help to remind them of their responsibility to the community.