Averse to litter

Sachs' poster campaign

A campaigner and voluntary worker has turned to verse to shame the louts who selfishly leave litter on the heath in Petersfield.

Phill Sachs, who spends all of his spare time scouring the heath for rubbish has composed a ditty that he hopes will “make those pesky litterbugs think twice before spoiling this idyllic beauty spot for visitors”.

His ode reads:

Think twice before you drop your crap,
long-suffering locals might just snap.
With clubs and knives they’ll hunt you down,
then string you up in your home town.

We joined Sachs for a 10-minute stroll around the heath during which time he somehow managed to pick up 256 items, shoving them into his heavy duty bin liner.

Tin cans, plastic bottles, cigarette packets, match boxes, crisp bags, several aquatic birds, a dead swan and a small dog were among the items collected by the do-gooder.

When questioned about the birds and the dog he said: “I work at speed to get the job done; there will always be a few casualties.”

Sachs once worked in a food processing and packaging plant and this experience seemed to have left him psychologically damaged, the result of which is he feels somehow responsible for much of today’s litter.

Sachs' clever poem

  
In an ironic twist, Sachs has had 150 copies of his ode laminated on A4 paper and has nailed the sheets to many of the heath’s oldest and most beautiful trees.

Wendy Windblows, aged 98, who lives on Heath Road, is outraged.

She said: “The view from my house has been ruined. This fool may have picked up a few cans but all I can see as I look south across the heath is the sun glinting off of these ruddy plastic sheets. I think he should be strung up.”