Whenever Mr and Mrs Joe Glovemaker are asked what ills in today's society bother them most, the problem of litter is invariably at the top of their worries.

This newspaper has responded to their concerns. Down the years, we have campaigned relentlessly against the people who treat our environment with such apparent contempt.

Not only have our journalists reported on litter blackspots, but in comment pieces they have made strident demands for action to be taken.

And so it is with heavy heart that we once again pick up the gauntlet and join Worcester MP Mike Foster in demanding that something is done about the utter disgrace of Teme and Avon Roads in Tolladine.

He's calling on the city council to use their new powers to tackle the heaps of household waste piled up in some people's gardens.

This comes a year after the council vowed to clean up the area, a pledge that we reported, accompanied by predictably depressing pictures of dereliction.

Mr Foster does concede that there has been some improvement. But it's not enough.

Action calls are all very well. But the ultimate responsibility lies with those selfish individuals who are blighting the lives of decent citizens.

For there is no excuse for such squalor in this modern age. Some may be as happy as pigs in the proverbial but the rest of us most certainly are not.