Keith Alfred Adolph Blake, Ottery
It now seems common for communities that are unhappy about service delivery to adopt a scorched-earth policy.
One cannot comprehend the logic behind burning schools, hospitals and government properties because it takes forever for them to be replace or repaired.
Illegal dumping on both public and private land is also out of control – sites are no sooner cleaned then they are dumped on again.
Where are our children going to be educated when a school is burnt down? Parents have to find another school in another area if there is space. They have to pay for new uniforms and possibly more for transport if the other school is further away.
When a hospital is destroyed what happens if a loved one takes ill or is injured? You have to travel to one further away when time is of the essence.
What happens when ambulance staff and firefighters are attacked? They grow reluctant to render emergency services to save a house or save a life.
Illegal dumping allows germs to spread and attracts vermin that spread disease.
The only time a community realises the consequences of its actions in cases like these is when facilities and services aren’t there when they are most needed.
The American minister and author Norman Vincent Peale said: “Change your thoughts and you change your world.”