Putting black plastic bags outdoors ensures a growing population of seagulls, rats, cats and foxes and guarantees rubbish will be strewn everywhere.

Even seven-day-a-week refuse collection couldn't stop this happening.

Dustbins with clampable lids could make a big difference to the city's streets.

Why have they fallen so completely out of use?

Have I missed something?

It could also make a big difference if Brighton and Hove City Council used appropriate street-cleaning technology.

Small carts, long-handled brushes and pans have probably been in use for a century or more.

This doesn't mean they work.

Watch a street sweeper on a windy day. Count the seconds it takes to sweep up one cigarette butt and the time it takes to transfer it to the cart.

Couldn't we invest in a few vacuum cleaners?

-Trevor Pateman, Dolphin Court, Hove