LITTER seems to be a fact of life and yet it is one of the few ways in which everyone can, easily and at no cost, improve their environment.

Our correspondent opposite sums up the depressing sight that greets many visitors to the Malvern area, but the same concerns are also raised in Ledbury.

Ledbury in Bloom has been a very beneficial force for improving the town and for tackling the very basic problem of litter. Its campaign chairman, Tom Deane, has already said that the problem of litter will be one of the key elements which will make or break Ledbury's sterling efforts to secure the national Britain in Bloom title.

In Malvern too, there are very diligent efforts to tackle the problem.

The work of the band of litter-pickers assembled by the Duckworth Worcestershire Trust are to be applauded. It would be nice to think that this hard-working group could be swelled by more volunteers. There is certainly the work for them.

But at the root of all this is the attitude of individual members of the community, and not just the children blamed for litter in both Malvern and Ledbury. It is at that level that the problem of litter will either grow or disappear.

We live in a beautiful natural environment - let's keep it that way.