MIKE BELL, in last week's paper, is quite wrong to say that I attacked him because he lives in Weston.

MIKE BELL, in last week's paper, is quite wrong to say that I attacked him because he lives in Weston.

I am not a Westonian myself but having been here a few years I find it a very pleasant town with cheerful and agreeable people, including - I am sure Mike Bell.

It has a splendid bay, one of the largest in the country, and generally unspoilt surroundings, and I would guess that John Penrose would probably prefer to live here, with his family, rather than in the crowded South East, but if he is to serve Weston in the House, he has little choice but to spend most weekdays in London.

Mr Bell says he is not a professional politician, and I am not quite sure what his point is, but if he were elected to Parliament I assume that he would collect his salary like all the other MPs, and rightly so.

If drug crime here has doubled in the last five years then I would agree that something should be done about it. Catching and locking up the dealers is probably more difficult that it seems, and if the Labour Government has played a softy, softly game with the dealers then its members are the ones to blame, but let's not forget that if there were no users, there would be no dealers, and no one is forced to buy, or use drugs.

I don't know where Mr Bell got his information on the Conservative 'plans' to double the number of rehab centres.

It's not something I've heard about, but perhaps better education on the evils of drug addiction would be helpful (could this take the place of sex education for the very young? It might be more useful to them in the long run.)

AUDREY DU FEU

Partridge Close, Weston