NO, Councillor Bob Peachey you are not alone in being angry with "renovations" in our High Street (You Say, Monday, December 20).

A number of us appealed to the council through these columns to spare the trees in the upheaval that followed. Sadly they could not hear us over the sound of the saws.

Even when a few trees appeared to be spared, I wrote that they would probably find that the survivors would have Dutch elm disease or some other weird problem and, sure enough, within a week they had been reduced to logs!

We now look at parallel lines of small bush type trees standing like starved Guardsmen with their busy type branches at the northern end of High Street with three forlorn leafless trees planted nearby to make up the promised numbers.

How boring and bland they look. How I wish the "Guardsmen" would march away and our old trees reappear.

The surface is now a strange mixture of shiny slabs and a light brown rubbery surface which do not blend in together and the whole area is already showing sings of dirt and diesel stains.

It seems obvious that shopkeepers will be happy with a transformation, which has opened up their shop fronts to lorries and shoppers alike - but at what a cost.

JOE WALTER,

St John's, Worcester.