In a recent letter to the editor in the Vancouver Sun, a local resident told how they had met a family from Brighton who had been visiting the Whistler ski resort here.

They indicated Vancouver's Chinatown and blocks east were a "blight"on our city and asked "why wasn't something done about it" - the litter, the beggars/homeless/ drug dealers and so on.

This area is about a 10x10 block area of inexpensive housing where the poor of the city live and exist. I returned to England for the first time in 26 years about five years ago and have fallen in love with the countryside, seaside towns and architectural history.

I now return every year. However, the first thing I saw was six inches of garbage on railway tracks in some stations from commuters who have no litter bins.

I know this is because of bomb threats but it is no excuse. In the suburbs, there is litter a good distance from the stations as those same commuters throw away their coffee cups and other rubbish.

I found beggars in the walkways, people sleeping in the passages of railway stations and graffiti everywhere. And litter in the hedgerows in Yorkshire.

Speaking of drug dealers, when I visited the Brighton Pavillion and walked along the promenade, I saw several people selling drugs.

These are the problems of most cities these days. So, to whoever it was criticising Vancouver, "people in glasshouses shouldn't throw stones".

I will pass on a tip for dealing with beggars on the underground: Take along extra bottles of water and a sandwich to give to those asking for money for the same and see the surprise on their face.

Vancouver is still one of the best cities in the world.

-Annette Code, Canada