YOU have kindly allowed me to comment on the churchyard of St John's, Ruardean, in previous correspondence when as church warden I asked users of the churchyard to take their grass trimmings and discarded flowers home, and not drop this litter in the churchyard.

The vast majority of churchyard users have complied with my request, and I thank them for their public spirited assistance. The officers of the church and myself want to keep the graves and yard tidy as a fitting place to honour those who have been laid to rest here, and as a place where relatives may visit and enjoy peace and tranquillity.

It is mystifying that a number of users continue to drop litter, grass trimmings and other waste despite clear notices requesting them to take their litter home.

They have also defaced notices asking them not to drop litter. The Parochial Church Council has given me permission to apologise to those users of the churchyard who would reasonably expect to find the churchyard in a clean and tidy condition for the unreasonable behaviour of the disaffected few who continue to pile litter in one corner of the yard.

Is it that they cannot read, or are they so damaged in their thought process that they must ignore a reasonable request to alter their behaviour? Perhaps one of their number would care to explain their thinking?

The truth is that the behaviour of these people continues to baffle the members of the PCC who have to clear up after this group. My final request to this group is please stop.

– David W H Parker, churchwarden, St John the Baptist Church, Ruardean.