Heart pounding, sweaty hands gripping the steering wheel, I drove as nonchalantly as I could down the quiet country lane, all the while glancing nervously in the rear-view mirror to ensure no one was behind me.
Then, with the coast clear, I did something I have never done before — I lowered the window and threw out the packaging from a takeaway meal.
Looking back as I drove off, I saw an empty drink cup bounce on the road a couple of times before settling into the grassy verge. A greasy chip carton landed nearby.
And just like that I had joined the selfish band of UK drivers who think nothing of littering our beautiful countryside. Not for them the 'imposition' of taking their rubbish home or pulling into a service station to find a bin.