Stuck... by gum!

The promenade that runs from Spinola to Ghar id-Dud is indeed a pleasure to walk in! It is beautifully kept and the flowers and shrubs make one feel as if one is in a veritable garden. Maintaining this unique walkway cannot be easy.

When out on my obligatory walk every morning there is always someone either picking rubbish or painting railings!

That's excellent and the councils involved are to be thanked for their perseverance and attention. I am in fact writing to appeal to the public to be more conscientious.

I am directing the appeal mainly to the gum-chewers! The tiling along the front is not even a year old and it looks like a pink and black Dalmatian skin which really would warm the cockles of Cruella de Ville's heart if no one else's!

Round blobs of black gum by the thousand! Apparently there are machines called gumbusters that remove these stains; however, are they really necessary! Is it too much trouble to dispense of one's gum in a bin, of which there are plenty?

Were I the councils I would ask the importers of gum to sponsor the purchase of a gumbusting machine, and pay for the labour involved.

Possibly these importers would take action and put warning messages on the packets. Similarly other commercial enterprises could be made to pay for the litter that is caused by their packaging. Our environment must be safeguarded and if the public who makes use of it is oblivious to the notices I am afraid that a squad of wardens must be on patrol every evening to enforce it!

They may not win first prize for popularity, however that would be the only thing to ensure that the most beautiful spots in Malta are maintained as they should.