'There are a minority of people who far from taking pride in our countryside and working to protect and enhance it, show no respect for it by dropping their litter or throwing it from passing cars'

I wanted to begin this weeks' Melton Times article by paying tribute to former Leicestershire County Council leader, Nick Rushton, who has passed away following a battle with illness.

I first met Nick back in 2015 when I had been selected as the Conservative Parliamentary Candidate for the old Charnwood constituency, and Nick invited me into County Hall to talk through county issues, and the county council.

I worked closely with Nick during his time as leader of the county council until he stepped back, handing over to Deborah Taylor as acting leader.

Nick was always straight-talking, easy to work with, and a man who cared deeply about Leicestershire and everyone who lives here, and about doing everything he could to make sure LCC did its job for the people of our great county.

Littering in the countryside in the Melton borough

He achieved a huge amount as leader, and we should all be grateful for his public service.

Nick was a man who always had time to talk, and who, even as he faced his illness, continued to take a close interest in the working of LCC.

He was Leicestershire to his core and will be hugely missed. My thoughts and sympathies are with Nick's family and friends.

Locally, I have in a previous column written about the pride we all have in Melton Mowbray, and my campaign for the town centre to be smartened up with a fresh coat of paint on things like bollards, railings and benches.

This was a call I was pleased the new leader of Melton Borough Council, Ronan Browne, responded to very positively, with works scheduled to be done to smarten up the town centre, alongside the work that is already underway to replace the bridge in Melton Country Park.

There is always more that can be done, but this is very positive progress.

But as well as us all having pride in our great town, and talking it up, we should also take pride in our fantastic local countryside, which is among the most beautiful and productive in the country.

However, sadly, there are a minority of people who far from taking pride in our countryside and working to protect and enhance it, show no respect for it by dropping their litter or throwing it from passing cars.

It then builds up on our roadsides and the verges of country roads, or even worse, some people are fly-tipping commercial waste in lay-bys, on roadsides, or on footpaths.

Just recently, on a walk in the constituency I was shocked to find the rural footpath, amidst fields, blocked with fly-tipped rubbish that looked like it had come from building work, left by criminals who, instead of paying for it to be properly disposed of, simply dump it.

The maximum fines for fly-tipping have recently increased to £5,000, and to £750 for littering.

It's a positive start, but not only do the penalties need to be sufficient to deter people, but we need to ensure there is a real focus on enforcement, on catching the fly-tippers.

I will continue my campaign for real action to tackle fly-tipping, and for our local councils to do all they can to catch those doing it and taking the toughest enforcement action they can.