THE county is about to embark on its second “Love Essex” anti-litter campaign.

A cautionary tale from Vange demonstrates at least one reason why it is a bad idea to chuck rubbish on the streets. A driver wound down his window and threw out a stream of rubbish on to the road, including food and old cigarette boxes. Unfortunately for him, he was observed by two patrolling policemen, and pulled over.

The officers had merely intended to reprimand him for his antisocial action, but they then discovered drugs and hidden cash. He and his companion were arrested.

The driver’s slovenly actions gave the police a good reason to stop him. As one of the police officers commented: “When somebody chucks rubbish like that, it shows they don’t really care about anything.”

Someone who empties the contents of their car on to the street is likely to have a careless attitude to civilised behaviour in other respects, including respect for the law.

The incident also illustrates the perpetual value of routine police patrols. However sophisticated backroom technology may become, and whatever the passing fads in law enforcement, much of the work of preventing crime and catching criminals is still achieved by the eyes and ears of officers out on the streets.

As the Vange case shows, the right to stop and search is clearly a useful addition to street cops’ resources.