I have to assume from the brief note in your recent issue that Geof Cooke, cabinet member for the environment, has come up through the ranks of Barnet street cleansers (Clean Streets', Hendon Times, November 1).

He obviously learnt his craft from his peers at the cafe in Finchley Lane where there is a cleansers' convention most mornings.

After his cup of rosie he could walk back to The Quadrant to observe the rubbish from overflowing wheelie bins before strolling down Brent Street. He could watch one of his operatives pushing the cart along with one hand while attempting to pick up dog ends with a long handled grabber, a skill that would win a prize in a Blackpool arcade. I'm thrilled to know that performance figures show such a tidy improvement but it's disappointing this has no impact on the increasingly filthy streets in the borough.

Brian Russell

Alexandra Road, Hendon

November 7, 2001 18:40