I am responding to Sue Lygo's letter about litter on the Oxford ring road (Oxford Mail, April 8) My garden backs on to the ring road between Heyford Hill and Redbridge roundabout, and I have had a running battle with the city and county councils for 40 years about rubbish dumped in the open ditch that takes the surface water to the River Thames.

The city says that the county is responsible for clearing it and the county is reluctant to do the job as my council tax goes to the city.

There is a burned-out moped frame and a rusty bicycle frame that have been in the culvert for nearly 18 months.

Two weeks ago, my neighbour and I donned wellies and gloves, got into the ditch and cleared it of all manageable litter, being fed up with waiting for action from our overworked councillors.

Lo and behold, one week later, a small truck with Clearaway written on the side parked on the cycle track.

After 15 minutes, I went to see what the men were doing, and they were nowhere to be seen.

Obviously, finding the job done for them, they must have gone to Sainsbury's coffee shop for a three-hour break, as I walked the full length of the section and there was not one fluorescent jacket to be seen.

If Keith Mitchell, leader of the county council, had left his ivory tower, he could have saved some of the money paid to the company for doing little or nothing (the two rusty frames are still there).

Maybe, he will refund some of my overcharged taxes.

If most of the local councillors are not too busy scoring points off each other and telling us what a great job they are doing, I might get a response to this letter.

I wonder how many of your readers who complain about how useless the two councils are will go and vote them back in again in May?

Not me, my voting days are over.

Michael Major, Rivermead Road, Rose Hill, Oxford