Spray dangers

6:54pm Wednesday 2nd July 2008

I agree wholeheartedly with Tony Anchors's letter about the indiscriminate spraying of weedkillers by councils and the damage it causes to beautiful verges and wild flowers (Oxford Mail, June 19).

I have seen operatives driving along spraying everything in sight.

In my road, In St Mary's Ward, there are no green verges, so the weed-killing operative simply sprayed the Monsanto Roundup into residents' front gardens.

As he approached my verdant front garden with his hose, I shrieked: "Halt!" He looked quite shocked to find such opposition to his noxious chemicals.

"People's front gardens are their own private property," I explained patiently.

He then looked around for something to spray and noticed the traffic calming island, where a tree had been planted.

I had put in some beautiful spring bulbs around the base of the tree. He gleefully went over and sprayed the lot, killing all the spring flowers.

I mentioned it to the local Green councillors, but they do not seem unduly worried as the use of weedkilling sprays has continued in our road unabated.

These chemicals must be harming the health of animals and children since small beings are nearer to the ground and probably at more risk of inhaling the spray.

SUSAN THOMAS Magdalen Road Oxford

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