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1. SPITTING IN THE STREET

I find this a particularly disgusting habit. It seems to be a predominately male habit and I can't understand why they feel the need to spit on the pavements. It's not as though they do it discretely either. They'll do it when walking in front of you so you have to do a little hop over it to avoid getting it on your shoes. They'll do it when passing you so the little puddle of saliva splats on the pavement beside you. Sometimes they do it behind you and you have no idea where it's gone. You just hope it's not slithering down the back of your coat. Is there a reason, I wonder, why they are unable to keep their saliva in their mouths? Are they incapable of swallowing? Do they get satisfaction in spitting within someone's sight or hearing? I would love to hear the reason why they feel the need to engage in this very anti-social habit.

2. SPITTING OUT CHEWING GUM

This is on a par of spitting out saliva, because with this habit we have sticky saliva filled gum being dropped on the pavements. I find it so disgusting when I get a piece of someone's chewing gum stuck on the sole of my shoe. I have to pull off this sticky mess that has been in a stranger's mouth. Is it so hard for them to wrap it in a piece of paper or a tissue and put it in the bin? When you look at the streets, particularly in towns, at all the well trodden in blobs of chewing gum you can appreciate what a huge problem this is for local councils.

And they don't only spit it on the street. When I was working in a clothing shop chain, we would have to go around the floor once a week with a little scraper to try to remove all the chewing gum that was stuck to the floor! What is in the minds of people to make them think it is OK to spit out their gum on a shop floor? Do they do this in their own homes?

3. THROWING DOWN LITTER

I was bought up never to litter the streets or parks. If I went out anywhere then I would take my litter home unless there was a convenient bin that I could dispose of it in. I taught my own children the same and not one of them would think to throw litter in the street. When I see someone throwing down litter I feel like running up to them and telling them to pick it up. I wish I was able to do that, but instead I try to catch their eye and glare at them in the hope that they will feel uncomfortable and will think twice before littering again. But I know they won't; littering is a habit that they do without even thinking about it.

Of course, the children of those

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