SIR, — I read with pride last week that Verulamium Park had been selected as one of the Top 50 locations in the country for a picnic, according to The Independent newspaper. St Albans is fortunate to have such a large, beautiful open space so readily acc

SIR, - I read with pride last week that Verulamium Park had been selected as one of the Top 50 locations in the country for a picnic, according to The Independent newspaper. St Albans is fortunate to have such a large, beautiful open space so readily accessible to its residents.

However, when running around the park the other evening I was saddened to see the amount of litter left by the day's visitors. It costs nothing, other than a few seconds of time, to put litter into one of the many bins.

With the announcement last week of the Woodland Trust's plans to create the largest new native forest in England between St Albans and Harpenden, it appears that we may be blessed with another green open space in the future. Such a resource will be open to the public and provide enormous benefits to local biodiversity.

We need to treasure such resources as they are scarce and under continual threat from the ever increasing demands for development.

PETE EGGLESTON,

St Albans Green Party Parliamentary Candidate.