As an earlier correspondent observed, the residents of Brentford Dock pay a hefty service charge to keep the estate clean and a pleasurable place for them to enjoy. Dock residents are not minded to subsidise free use of Dock facilities to non-residents who pay nothing.
I wholeheartedly agree with the observation that householders and shops generally just don’t bother to clean their forecourts, sweep them clear of leaves, etc. Gone are the days – in the UK at least – when it was considered a matter of pride to ensure that your frontage, however humble, was kept spick and span and washed down daily. I only ever see this being done in Hungary, even in a city like Budapest.
Many of the shops and buildings may look very down at heel, but they’re clean inside and outside. Both residents and tenants make a point of washing down their frontage on a daily basis. Public toilets, too, in restaurants and the like, are invariably clean and fresh-smelling. In the UK, on the other hand, it’s quite a different, invariably disgusting story. I really don’t know what’s the matter with the Brits, who don’t seem to notice or care about the filth they create.
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