HAVING recently been to Germany for two weeks of the World Cup I can conclusively say that it puts our country to shame.

For starters the cleanliness of the place and the disgust on people's faces when litter is thrown is very commendable.

Not like here when the place is littered with takeaway boxes and the occasional rat running along.

Secondly, the "Germany Purity Law" should be done over here.

Drinking lager over there really is a pleasure as they are natural tasty beers not watered down with chemicals which give you the hangover.

I never woke up once with a hangover or feeling groggy as I would do here if I drank the same amount.

You can also freely walk down the street, get on buses and trains with a bottle of beer and there's no trouble because they trust their own people and don't nanny them like we get here.

Thirdly, they are a nation proud of their food and the quality you get is unbelievable not the rubbish that is served from burger vans here.

Currywurst and Bratwurst sausages are always available everywhere, even at train stations with different flavours of bread and really tasty burgers that you can tell have been made properly.

If you want to get somewhere you can anytime as the underground and buses are always available.

And you only realise when you go somewhere just how much this country rips you off.

I was getting a really large steak for six euros (£4), also the price of beer is totally cheaper and is stronger with it all being at 4.9 per cent strength.

It really brings home what an expensive, badly run country we live in.

ROBERT MacNEALL, Ottershaw Gardens, Blackburn, Lancs.