I’ve noticed the streetlights by the train station have been repainted and tidied up. Couple that with the new surveillance equipment by the sailing academy that the prisons on Portland could only dream of and the new banners smothering all the main routes around Weymouth, how lovely it all is that Weymouth and Portland’s getting a little update, a lick of paint and a facelift.

Isn’t it a shame we have to wait for the Olympics for our council to break out the brushes and pull their fingers out?

I’m sure, of course, some of it’s funded by private sources, but does it really take hosting a multinational event to give people a sense of pride in their local area?

I’ve never been a supporter of the Olympics or all the turmoil it’s caused to Weymouth and Portland but the facelift that the local area has been getting is perhaps the first positive thing I’ve noticed.

I just hope the council keeps it up instead of tarting up the area just for the Olympics.

Mind you, in contrast, the concentration camp style fencing around the Olympic village on Portland could do with a little colour, not the most uplifting sight, let alone the graveyard view that some of the houses have.

Marcus Baldaro Channel View Road Portland