SIR — I am certain that I am not the only regular visitor to Somerset who keeps returning because it is a warm kind place, the sort of place that reminds them of the England of their youth.
That is why I have been a regular visitor for more than 40 years.
One of the most endearing characteristics of Somerset is that it is not what the travel writers would describe as "fashionable", but don't worry, the local authority jobsworths are going to make it even less so.
The tragedy is that in their enthusiasm to grab the visiting motorists' money, a form of economic blindness leads to them losing their reasoning powers.
Of course it could be that they are not bright enough to realise that they are killing the goose that lays the golden eggs and visitors will just take one look at the new parking meters and drive on, to the detriment of the local economy.
A couple of years ago, local authority jobsworths, in an attempt to show just how efficient they were, decided to kill three birds with one stone.
Firstly they thought they would extend their harassment of motorists, secondly they decided that the humble Blue Anchor seafront was far too picturesque, and thirdly they felt the few businesses earning their living there were having it too easy.
Their way of dealing with such matters was simple. They stuck double yellow lines along the seafront.
In my correspondence with the authorities responsible for the double yellow lines pantomime, I suggested that they were the precursor of parking meters.
The reply I received was short and straight to the point - the area traffic engineer stated unequivocally that there were no plans to introduce any charges for parking.
That was two short years ago. Good heavens, how things do change.
Brian M Leahy,
Hanney Road,
Steventon,
Oxfordshire.