MAY I remind readers, especially those who have moved into the New Forest, that often it is your responsibility to ensure there is a ditch outside your property boundary. It is not the job of the local authority. The soil from that ditch is then used to create a bank, behind that would be your main fence. Any boundary hedgerow or trees should be in your grounds. And, overhang to be cut back by you.

In Burley as an example, some of our lanes are narrower now than when I was a lad because, ditches have been lost, and people have allowed blind spots from not cutting back hedges.

Established residents will remember how we used to have two full-time road sweepers who would keep the roads clean, clear out the ditches and pick up litter. We hardly ever saw any flooding in those days.

Another example of how progress, has not been too clever!

RICHARD GRANT, Burley.