Harrogate Council seem to have little control over the blight that plagues our streets. Up to 40 skips a day are left all over the town. Although builders and householders now need a licence to put a skip in the street there seems to be no control over when they are emptied or what is placed in them.

Various skips left in the roads of Harrogate have been set on fire recently but this is not the only problem that we are expected to put up with. All too often an empty skip is an invitation for all and sundry to get rid of any old domestic rubbish including kitchen waste and combustible materials such as carpets, duvets, furniture and fridges.

This mellifluous assorted junk forms a health risk, allowing flies and vermin to breed, as well as being a considerable fire hazard. The local Environmental Health department say they have no jurisdiction over environmental hazards that are on the public highway. (Next time you see rats dancing in the street, ring the Highways department, not the Environmental Health department!) The Highways department say that they have issued a licence to put a skip in the road so it is out of their hands and they have no control over what goes into them. Licences last up to a month, so this gives plenty of time for rubbish to rot and fester. I would have assumed that the issuing of a 'licence 'implies that the Council should bear some responsibility to control what has become an unsightly blight, health and fire hazard.

The positioning of skips in the street often inconveniences neighbours, especially when placed within a few feet of your kitchen window! The ordinary householder seems to have no right of objection if a neighbour decides to put their skip outside your property.

At the very least neighbours should be informed in advance of this happening and be given time to make reasonable objections. They should also be informed of the reason for the skip being required, such as building work or house clearance. Skips should be inspected regularly to check whether they are being misused and all skips should be covered when not in use overnight. If the terms of the licence are broken or skips are being misused then the licence should be withdrawn immediately and the skip removed. Please could the Council get a grip!