Dear Editor

Having recently seen our Minister of Tourism inviting US citizens to visit Antigua & Barbuda to enjoy our beautiful beaches, I can only ask if he has visited our local beaches.

Wetherill’s has been littered with rubbish for the longest while and recently I collected 19 bags of rubbish, which are ready for collection, plus about six bags to be collected en-route and rubber tyres that have been dumped in the bush.

How can our minister of tourism go on US television to invite US citizens to visit our litter-strewn beaches?

The beaches show us to be lacking in pride, initiative and hygiene and shows us as having an attitude in not knowing our assets, the beautiful beaches for which Antigua is known worldwide.

It shows us as not educating our children to take pride in their island and their environment.

Visitors to our beaches have little or no regard for the environment. Rather than taking their litter home with them, they throw their garbage where there are already piles of rubbish.

There are no receptacles in which to place the trash. What impression can visitors to our island leave with?

Families who enjoy a beach day need to examine their consciences. Vast number of beer bottles are left strewn on the beaches. Parents deposit used nappies in the bush when it is so easy to take it home in the plastic bags, which are handed out in volume at supermarkets (who should be issuing bio-degradable bags). They choose to leave the beach in a disgusting state.

As for fly tipping, another disgrace, why not take it to the government rubbish dump instead of desecrating this beautiful island.

How can our children learn to know and be proud of what they have and to treasure Antigua?  We can all be part of promoting the beauty of this island if we just think before we throw away our rubbish in public places.

It was a visitor to our shores who, in conversation, pointed out the disgraceful state of Wetherill’s Beach.

Keep Antigua clean; keep Antigua tidy, keep Antigua beautiful.