SIR — For only the second time in my life, I find myself so incensed about the state of Minehead that I need to write to your publication. On Sunday, August 8, I decided to take a walk from the centre of town to the harbour and the resulting perambulation was a real eye opener. I passed the various charity and gift shops and the huge amount of tearooms. The few people who were around the town were walking aimlessly past the premises with blank expressions. The walk took me through Blenheim Gardens where the sight of a dozen or more "locals" with accents from countrywide who were sat around sharing a bottle of White Lightning and cheap bottles of wine at 10.45am on a Sunday morning. I then walked on to the harbour where Minehead really came to life. I saw the RNLI on exercise with a helicopter, I had a coffee and a chat with the proprietor of the fishing shop and some real locals who were friendly and informative. There was a crowd of about 150 people and it was a spectacular sight and great entertainment. The "free" spectacle finished around one o'clock and that was it; there was nothing to see, nothing to do, nothing to visit or nowhere else of interest. I looked over to the beach and could physically count the amount of people on it. The sight was desperate. I then went back to the parade and started to walk up The Avenue, where the same aimless faces were walking around with a blank bored expression. There were a couple of the "locals" I had come across earlier in Blenheim Gardens, one of whom seemed to have lost control of his bodily functions after being beaten up by two local men who resembled Little and Large for stealing a handbag from a parked car. Yet again another free spectacle which was most entertaining, though I am not advocating a society of vigilantes, but poetic justice seemed to be the order of the day. The local constabulary arriving some 35 minutes after the event, which allowed the crowd of on- looking holidaymakers some sort of entertainment. I love this town and its real people and I do not want to move elsewhere. I believe that the council has the best interests of the town at heart. The idea of prosperity within the town seems to frighten the grey money and some traders but if something is not done soon to eradicate the onset of this rot, the good people of Minehead will begin to except the above story as the norm. Minehead is in desperate need of quality tourist attractions and business, which in turn brings jobs and a better quality of life. I know the steam railway is a major tourist attraction and does a great job, but a sea life centre or a pier, a ferry to Wales or anything is needed urgently. The council should stop being so scared of upsetting a few vocal businessmen and start releasing land for planning etc. There is a lot of support from the council from local people who need the prosperity to continue to afford to live here. M Barrass, The Avenue, Minehead.