Fly-tipping is the bane of many residents’ lives and is a problem that causes not just unsightly mess but also has the potential to encourage vermin – which can bring with them very serious diseases.

Similarly, dog mess also carries bacteria which can cause very serious illnesses, especially in children, and many pet owners are simply not fastidious enough in cleaning up after their animals when taking them out for a walk.

So Councillor Brian Cleasby’s innovative scheme to install covert cameras at known fly-tipping and dog-walking spots to catch out those who dump rubbish and allow their dogs to soil the area is, on the face of it, a good one.

However, anti-social behaviour such as this must be balanced against people’s basic rights, and anyone who is out and about in a public place should have a right to know if they are being secretly filmed.

So it is only right that if covert cameras are installed, warning signs are also put up to tell people that they might be being filmed.

Coun Cleasby is of the opinion that the warning signs are, at best, unnecessary and, at worst, an expensive act of what he calls “political vandalism”.

Coun Cleasby’s anger is understandable as he wants to catch those responsible for upsetting local residents. But perhaps the signs themselves might deter people from carrying out their anti-social behaviour in the first place.

And as we all know, prevention is often much better than cure.

Heartening to see Otley pub buck the trend

It’s a tough time for the pub trade at the moment. Squeezed personal finances and the prevalence of cheaper alcohol in supermarkets have contributed to people not popping down to their local as much as they used to or would like to.

Over the past few years there have been a huge number of pubs closing down simply because they cannot continue trading in the current economic climate. So it is very heartening to see one of Wharfedale’s most prominent pubs bucking the trend and re-opening after a two-and-a-half-year closure.

The Royalty, on top of Otley Chevin, is opening for business again after a small national pub chain stepped in to take over the running of what is thought to be the highest pub in the area.

This should be a boon to the many walkers who trek this route, visitors to the popular beauty spot of the Chevin, and local people from the surrounding area.

The Mornington Pub Company which has taken over the Royalty also says it will create up to 15 new jobs, and the day-to-day running of the venue has gone to pair of local licensees.

This is exactly the sort of shot in the arm the pub trade needs, and to this news we should all raise our glasses and say “cheers” to the new Royalty.