Regarding comments made about the state of the loch. I would make the following observations.

The bins are now emptied every five days and the bin emptying regime now in operation is the best service which can be offered locally. I arrange for the loch to be cleaned of bread bags and other rubbish on a frequent basis and not a week goes by when staff are not fishing out bin tops.

As for the algae which has formed on the surface of the loch, although this does not look pleasant it is very much the view of the experts that the algae is doing the loch some good and helps with the cleanliness of the water and other matters in terms of the biodiversity of the loch. Several years ago the council used to remove all of the algae twice a year but it was suggested by the Gunknowe Loch Management committee that we should stop this practice. At that time I asked everybody in Tweedbank via the newsletter what they thought about this issue and the overwhelming response was to leave the algae alone so that is what we now do. I am afraid to say that I doubt that I will ever manage to get the loch completely free of bread bags and other accumulated duck feeding rubbish.