With the great weather we've been having, what's the point jetting off to Spain or Greece for a bit of sun?

On Sunday, after having a barbecue in the garden at lunchtime, we put the kids and the dog in the car and went down to Goring beach.

It was absolutely gorgeous. We had a great walk along the sand and popped into the Sea Lane Cafe for an ice cream.

But two aspects of the afternoon cast a shadow over our day out.

First, the old favourite - dog mess. I came across two offerings, one of which my son missed treading in by inches as he ran across the green to get to the seashore.

The all-too familiar questions must be asked again: What kind of people watch their dogs foul in public and then just walk away and leave it?

And if these people are not prepared to pick up the mess, are they really responsible enough to own an animal in the first place?

I really hope someone soon gets caught in the act and prosecuted.

Perhaps then owners will think twice before letting their pets be the cause of this health hazard.

The other problem was the rubbish.

There weren't enough bins at the beach and the ones there were not big enough.

By the time we walked back to the car at 7.30pm, the dustbin areas were an open invitation to every fox, cat or seagull to have an evening feast - and let's not forget the people who didn't even take their litter that far, very thoughtfully leaving it at the very spot they had spent their day.

A solution? Well Councillor Peter Green, who has taken on the role of "councillor for rubbish", should look at putting some big wheelie bins down on the seafront and surrounding greens for at least the duration of the summer.

I would be interested to know from Goring residents what the scene was like on Monday morning after our four-legged and two-winged friends had been through the bins on Sunday night.

I took the kids to Tarring Park on their bikes one night last week and saw how needless penny-pinching and budget cuts by West Sussex Council can have far reaching consequences.

We witnessed an altercation between two gangs of teenagers that was only stopped by the welcome intervention of a security guard.

This came soon after I learned the county council had cut its funding to West Tarring Boys Club, in the same week that it was reported councillors received record allowances.

A club such as this should get enough council money to open as many nights and cater for as many youngsters as possible.

Local Tory councillor Jack Saheid has already ruffled a few feathers in his party by publicly criticising the policies of the ruling Tory group at County Hall and perhaps this is another issue to get his teeth into.

If money was tight, I would be a bit more understanding but knowing what some councillors actually do while collecting their £8,000-plus in expenses, I have little time for excuses.