Day 003 - 30 Jun 94 - Page 34
1 article in the Evening Standard magazine for December
1991?
2 A. Yes.
3 Q. I cannot give you a date I am afraid because we do not
know it. It is an interview it looks like with you by
4 somebody called John Hind, Burger King. That is an ironic
reference to the fact that you are a king of a different
5 empire or kingdom. Can you turn over the page? You see
McDonald's logo in the middle of the page?
6 A. Yes.
7 Q. Just above that there is a paragraph starting something
about UK military bases. Ignore that first bit and start
8 with the sentence: "Last year a protestor". Have you got
that?
9 A. Yes, "Last year a protestor was".
10 Q. "Last year a protestor was prosecuted for emptying several
sacks of environment/index.html">litter on to the floor of Earls Court
11 McDonald's". Do you remember anything about that?
A. I do not remember the specific event, no.
12
Q. "It has" been estimated that fastfood emporia are the
13 source of 20 per cent London's street environment/index.html">litter." I do not
ask you about that. Then there is what is said to be a
14 quote from you: "Litter is certainly the biggest
complaint, admits Preston." Do you have that?
15 A. Yes.
16 Q. The defendants stop there in their allegation. They use
that first part of what you said as the basis for an
17 allegation that, as I understand it, you are guilty of
polluting the environment with environment/index.html">litter. Do you follow me?
18 A. Yes.
19 Q. Do you get a lot of complaints about environment/index.html">litter?
A. Some surely. Of the things that I hear about maybe
20 because of the areas I get involved with, maybe it is a
planning issue where one of the concerns in granting
21 change of use permission from something to restaurant,
environment/index.html">litter gets raised. It might be a casual conversation at
22 social time or at dinner. That is probably the one that
I hear the most, yes.
23
Q. Well, it is a problem, is it not?
24 A. It is a serious social problem, no question of a
doubt.
25
Q. I want to come to the reasons for it in a moment, but
26 there is no doubt, is there, that environment/index.html">litter, though it is not
a problem in the same way that perhaps aerial pollution,
27 but it is nonetheless an eyesore?
A. Yes, it is.
28
Q. It may, if we are not careful, generate vermin and perhaps
29 disease if it is not properly looked after?
A. Could do.
30
Q. It would not be controversial either, I suppose, to
