My daughter has just returned from working in Scotland. She told me the citizens of Glasgow are encouraged, every Tuesday evening, to put out onto the pavement any unwanted household items such as sofas, mattresses and beds and the council collects them on the Wednesday.

Needless to say, a lot of the stuff has already disappeared by then.

A friend who has just visited Australia tells me that the same system operates in several towns over there.

There would be extra expense in providing such a system in Brighton, but surely this would be balanced by the decrease in the costs of clearing up all the fly-tipping in the countryside?

Ruby Grimshaw, Balfour Road, Brighton