Mieka Smiles

Local Matters

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IF there's one thing my husband and children hate, it's someone dropping litter. Although I'm certain they find it as lazy and irritating as the next person, that's not why they roll their eyes. The real reason is because they know through painful experience what's coming next...

However young, old, feeble or musclebound the perpetrator is, a Karen-esque challenge from me is imminent. It happened last week, although - thankfully for my family - I was alone.

I spotted a man shoving empty bottles into a hedge. Despite the risks of confronting a random bloke in his 40s with a backpack, the words erupted like word vomit: “Excuse me - can you pick that up please?”

Thankfully, I didn't go home with a bottle smashed over my head. Instead, I was branded a “busybody” and, as a councillor and journalist, that's a badge of honour!