IF YOU travel on foot or use public transport you can soon tell when it rains which buildings have cleared their gutters and which haven’t.

Getting the rain that’s landed on the entire building dropped straight onto you as you walk by is not pleasant.

Councils have power under s163 of the Highways Act 1980 to make landowners either build or maintain gutters so surface water from their property doesn’t go straight onto the footway.

Making alternatives to a warm dry car as safe, pleasant and convenient as possible is important for many different reasons, air pollution reduction, exercise for health, global warming or just the rising cost of fuel. Whatever is motivating these changes, please, if you have a property next to the pavement, be sure to keep the gutters on your roof as clear as possible.

SUSAN STOCKWELL

Britannia Road, Poole