Noisy pests – blow them out

Published: 26 August, 2010

• IT’S heartening many people are united in their discontent about the noise of vuvuzelas, yet leaf-blowers, which make a similar sound only far louder, seem to be tolerated.

The machines have become mass-market in a very short time.

They’re used every week of the year in practically every acre of the outdoors.

On September 8 Boris Johnson and the London Assembly are holding a meeting on air quality.

A petition is to be presented calling for leaf-blowers and similar new, petrol-powered maintenance tools to be scrapped by local authorities.

Besides the fact they use up to £1,000 a year of council tax money in fuel, blowers are cruel to wildlife (wind-speeds range from 90-200mph),   destructive to plants, highly pollutive and all but useless.

The petition can be found by Googling the Gopetition site, then typing “Petrol-free parks” in the site’s search engine.

Or go to: www.gopetition.com/petitions/petrol-free-parks-for-London

This petition is also accessible on Facebook

SIMON MacREYNOLDSON
Hornsey Lane, N6