Walking down Western Road the other morning was a depressing experience. As a Brighton resident of many years, I know it is not the most salubrious street in town. But come on, shop keepers and landlords, where is your sense of civic pride?

The sheer volume of abandoned, run down, tatty and vandalised facias of so many of the premises gave the impression one was negotiating a war zone rather than one of the premier shopping streets of an ostensibly prosperous city.

When I read that UK retailers are suffering a tough time, I wonder when was the last time the many who run small retail outlets in Brighton looked at the exterior of their shops? While one or two clearly make an effort, most are grubby and do not look as if they have seen a lick of paint in decades.

I for one go out of my way to avoid this street. It is all very well tarting up the likes of The Lanes for the tourists, but for the tens of thousands of residents who live and work here, how about showing a bit of an effort to freshen the place up?

I do most of my shopping on the internet these days – so I don’t get to chat to local shopkeepers, which is regrettable. But I do get to avoid being in close contact with the filth and grime and ugliness which characterises one of our main pedestrian thoroughfares.

Can you blame me?

David Andrews
Victoria Street, Brighton