Something else which pricked my attention on the breakfast news this morning was a short piece about fly tipping in Stoke on Trent. I grew up in a town not far from Stoke, so it got my interest: fly tipping and littering is apparently becoming a real problem there, with rubbish blocking many streets. However, I didn’t think much more about it, until a few hours later. My trundle today took me over to Canary Wharf. I’m currently quite interested in that area, and in how such a heavily industrialised area of docks and mills has been transformed into a region of sparkling skyscrapers and high-end shopping malls.

Today, though, what caught my attention the most was how clean it all was: the roads and paths around the Isle Of Dogs were almost totally litter free, and I think the same can be said of London in general. A huge amount of money has obviously been spent on gentrifying east London especially, and it’s striking how well maintained everywhere is. Of course, you still see the odd beer bottle or crisp packet here and there, but it’s nothing like as bad as what was being reported about Stoke.

I haven’t visited Stoke on Trent in about fifteen years. I know the city has quite a negative reputation, but I can’t say whether that reputation is still deserved. However, what I saw this morning, contrasted against what I encounter these days in London, gives me cause for concern: has the chasm between the capital and the rest of the country now grown so hideously, unjustifiably wide?