STREET litter is an interesting concept. Everyone's against it, everybody insists they never drop it, yet it appears on a daily basis. The frustrating thing is that vast resources are wasted clearing up the totally needless mess.

If people were just a little more thoughtful resources could be spent in far more productive ways - it might even help keep the community charge down. Personally I detest litter louts. I find their actions as anti-social as allowing dogs to foul the pavement or lighting up in a confined no-smoking area.

I must admit I did have a little sympathy with the elderly gentleman (but not a lot) who made the papers this week after being fined £50 - almost half his pension - for flicking his cigarette end onto the streets of Redcar.

Perhaps he was an easy target, perhaps he's not the worse offender but there are many people who casually litter the streets in such a way without giving a second thought to the damage they are doing to the image of their towns and cities and never consider the cost to ratepayers of cleaning up after them.

You're never too old to learn and hopefully this gentleman won't make the same mistake again.

The warden concerned deserves praise for doing his job. I suspect this episode will do more good than any publicity campaign in driving the message home that dropping litter is not acceptable - whatever your age.

DOMINATING the front and back pages this week has been David Beckham's dance of the seven veils, whilst nearer home Bobby Robson battles to sign Ronaldinho and Steve McClaren fights to keep Geremi.

But of far more intrigue is the remarkable transfer saga involving the top flight Italian side Perugia.

The club has just signed Al-Saadi Gaddafi - son of the Libyan dictator - in a unique deal in which it appears the player has paid the club to buy him.

Even more bizarre is the suggestion that the move is seen as a way of fostering greater links between Libya and the US as the team's manager, Luciano Gaucci, is apparently a good friend of George Bush - surely the ultimate mixing of sport and politics.

Al-Saadi, a 30-year-old midfielder, is certainly committed to football. He dreams of bringing the World Cup Finals to Libya and is credited with persuading his father to relax the country's former ban on the game.

As a result football has become massively popular in Libya especially when Al-Saadi's team play. Up to 100,000 cram the stadiums because booing and heckling Al-Saadi during a game is the only expression of protest against the Gadaffi regime that is tolerated. At one match the loudest cheer came when a donkey was released onto a pitch wearing a shirt with Al-Saadi's number on.

It was left to Perugia's coach to deliver the telling line which illustrates how far football has now come from its roots. Asked whether Al-Saadi was a good player he revealed he couldn't say as he hadn't seen him play enough to form an opinion.

For Steve McClaren and Bobby Robson the summer transfer merry-go-round must seem simple in comparison.

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Published: ??/??/2003