THE campaign for a fast food outlet to open in a Worcester suburb was hard fought over several weeks across the columns and website of this newspaper. After much debate, an online petition won the day and Kentucky Fried Chicken opened a branch at Blackpole.

Worcester people like their spicy battered drumsticks and fries, no doubt about it. Unfortunately, some of these people are not so keen on tidiness, which is why there is a growing litter problem in this area. This in turn is attracting flocks of seagulls, eager for scraps.

We should be very clear about a few things here. Your Worcester News believes that while any enterprise should be vigilant to its public duties, there is a far greater onus on the individual to take responsibility for his or her actions. There is absolutely no excuse for littering and we can’t help thinking that a few on-the-spot fines would soon concentrate minds.

Of course, this is not likely to happen. Nevertheless, this situation plainly cannot be allowed to continue and that is why a concerted effort should be made by all concerned before matters get out of hand.

It should also be borne in mind that there would be no seagulls at all in Worcester if people just stopped throwing food containers on to the ground.

These opportunistic birds are never far from the columns of this page, but how many readers ever wonder why they are here in the first place?

Basically, the answer’s in your hands. By all means, enjoy your food... but then drop the left-overs and wrappers in a waste bin.