The number of glasses and broken bottles being dumped in Wibsey High Street by drinkers at local pubs is disgraceful. An estimate of 200 bottles, intact or shattered, left littering the street plus drinking glasses abandoned on walls and steps suggests that a great many people are behaving irresponsibly.

Broken glass has the potential to cause a lot of damage, not only to car and bicycle tyres but to footwear and, even more seriously, to children and animals. Everyone, surely, is aware of the dangers of it.

A former pub landlord who lives in Wibsey has said that local publicans, who make their profits out of the drinkers, should clear up the mess they make. His view is shared by Councillor Anne Hawkesworth, the Council's executive member for the environment.

It is a reasonable argument. In fact, it is one which should be applied not only to pubs but to fast-food takeaways. Too many of them have their presence advertised by the discarded food cartons and drinks cans strewn around the nearby pavements. It should not be left to the Council to clear up this debris, using money provided by Council taxpayers.

However, the real solution is for individuals to behave more responsibly towards the environment and to realise how badly their behaviour can drag a place down. To make a mess and then argue about who should clear it up is entirely the wrong approach.

The answer is for people to be persuaded to understand that litter - and particularly very dangerous litter such as glass - should not be left lying around in the first place.