I READ Ken Everard's letter this week and the previous week's articles with interest.

I READ Ken Everard's letter this week and the previous week's articles with interest. Ken has tried very hard over the last few years to improve things for the Meadow and Orchard Street traders to increase the council's awareness of the problems the area suffers. All to no avail, to the extent that Ken feels that it is not worth carrying on and we have yet another closed shop in Meadow Street.

With the specific problem of parking, the situation has been a shambles for a couple of years with the council having a policy of not giving parking tickets because it couldn't be sure of enforcing them. This has led to people parking all day, every day, on one hour limited parking and parking for extended periods on double yellow lines, with the result that our potential customers in Meadow Street can't park and shop elsewhere.

The recent improvements to the parking restrictions are next to no use as they are not enforced. Not only is there no manpower for this, but there is reluctance on the existing authorities to give out tickets. We have seen police officers stroll past illegally parked vehicles without batting an eyelid. Today the reason given by a PCSO for not giving a ticket to an illegally parked car was "it's raining and my pen doesn't write on the ticket properly when wet". A couple of days ago a car was illegally parked in a loading bay while its owner went and had a haircut.

With this casual attitude the parking situation in Weston will never improve. Councillor Ap Rees says there is ample parking in the town centre, and I agree, but until the regulations are enforced many shoppers will continue to choose to shop elsewhere because they simply can't park in the town.

I have no experience of other councils but it seems to me that ours is totally inept. It pontificates and blames everybody but itself while the very fabric of the town slowly falls apart.

ALAN CASTELL

Peter Castell Ltd

Meadow Street

Weston