MY wife and I have just visited York, as we have done annually for years. It is a fine place, packed with historical interest.

But last month we visited – and were deeply impressed by – Rouen in Normandy, and looked at York this time as a foreign visitor might. The comparison didn’t show York in a good light.

Where Rouen sparkles and looks well cared for, York is in places scruffy and uncared for.

Shambles, an internationally famous street, looks undeniably dirty. When I was ten, my class teacher told us a marvellous story about medieval people being able to converse across the street from the upper floor with their neighbours and in places could even touch hands.

The fantasy becomes reality in Shambles – but why are some of the upper facades so grubby? Does no one care? Can’t the civic authorities clean them and give them a coat of lime wash?

In one shopping area, we ate pasties in the open air, where the litter bins look as though they haven’t been washed for years.

And though most of the street names are in a good state at least one or two we saw are on the way to becoming illegible.

York deserves better.

Lawrence Aspden, Stannington, Sheffield.

MY WIFE I and went into York on Bank Holiday Monday and were amazed at the disgusting state of the city centre: Litter, half-eaten food, food containers, cigarette ends by the hundreds, and stains on the road in Coney Street that did not merit closer inspection – all this within yards of the Lord Mayor’s official residence.

For the first time I was ashamed to be part of this great city.

I thought the cleaning teams in the city had the slogan York Pride. If so it needs changing to avoid prosecution under the Trades Descriptions Act.

Les Coverdale, Wigginton, York.

• A City of York Council spokeswoman, said: “Our team works in the city centre 364 days a year, from 6am until 7pm, to ensure it looks as good as possible.

“We can only apologise, if on this occasion, the cleanliness of the city did not meet the high standards we aim for.

“During periods of very heavy footfall, such as on bank holidays, it can be difficult to keep on top of standards, but we try to maintain and improve cleanliness levels wherever possible.”