THE nights will soon be drawing in and no doubt those in charge of promoting Worcester will perhaps be thinking how "the product" can be improved for next year.

But I hope the autumn leaves floating down the Severn will not obscure the unsightly piles of rubbish that can be seen just below the surface on either side of the river bridge. And quite a collection it is, too. There are bikes, trolleys, traffic cones, bottles, tins, road signs and all sorts visible. This summer I have often watched shoals of chub, dace and the occasional gigantic carp attempting to negotiate the mess left by the planet's so-called most advanced creature.

So, as the lights start to burn late in council offices across Worcestershire it would be good to think that someone, somewhere, is seeking a solution to this problem.

We need tourists, and visitors to this city don't want to see all this mess anymore than they want to set eyes on more terrestrial kinds of litter, graffiti or loutish behaviour.

I suggest a boat, two men with grappling hooks, and a will to succeed. Let's have a riverfront of which we can all be proud.