I BELIEVE it was around February this year that the town faced the prospect of losing some of its bus services. It was at about the same time as this when we started being rudely awoken and stricken with noise from a huge mechanical road sweeper that how

I BELIEVE it was around February this year that the town faced the prospect of losing some of its bus services.

It was at about the same time as this when we started being rudely awoken and stricken with noise from a huge mechanical road sweeper that howls and blasts its way round central Royston.

It has been doing this every single day of the week. It has been starting, until recently, before 6.30am with Saturdays, Sundays and even Bank Holidays not being exempt.

The noise continues for about 45 minutes every day. It is an absolutely scandalous waste of our council tax, and one that seems to only satisfy those who do not care what the effect is on residents, are prepared to turn a blind eye to it and then are happy to cut other services like our buses instead.

Yes, we all want clean streets but we also want our council to spend our money wisely.

There is no wisdom or common sense behind this totally inefficient and ridiculous practice.

The same level of cleanliness could so easily be achieved with a manual patrol.

In more than nine months of complaining we have only succeeded in the council agreeing to re-schedule this work to 7am.

I wonder if they and their families would find that acceptable practice and good value for money if they were continually woken so rudely at 7am, and kept awake for 45 minutes on their Saturdays and Sundays.

Services cost us our council tax, but in this instance I hope our council would vote for buses not abuse.

GRAHAM WINIECKI

Royston