SIR — I've just returned from my first holiday visiting North Devon and West Somerset.

The area is truly delightful and overall I enjoyed the outstanding scenery and my visits to the quaint towns and villages and the attractions the area has to offer visitors. It was a joy to drive along roads "tunnelled" through the trees.

Sadly, my holiday was tainted by some of the worst local drivers I have ever encountered.

Speeding, dangerous overtaking and indiscriminate parking seems to be the norm on West Somerset's narrow roads.

I am generally against speed restrictions but in West Somerset there are many roads that need them.

On two occasions, I was passed by 4x4s towing trailers at high speeds that overtook, pulling in sharply to avoid approaching traffic and causing me to brake hard to avoid being hit. One of the trailers carried two horses that were flung to the side.

In the narrow lanes, I narrowly avoided being in collision, in the same village, first with a car then with a scooter. Both were travelling too fast for the road conditions and on the wrong side of a bend.

On another occasion, in a narrow lane, a lady driving a 4x4 forced me to reverse a considerable distance to allow her to pass, only for me to find she had just passed a passing place.

Given that tourism is a major source of employment and revenue in the area, much more needs to be done to enforce road safety.

Tony Taylor,

Southport.