MAY I express my whole-hearted support for Mr Stones and his view on the threatened closure of our public loos.

The potential loss of this basic amenity provides a clear indication, if one were needed, of the punitive contempt held for the general public, and the walking public in particular, by those in authority.

There is, it appears, no shortage of money to lavish on disgusting water features, unappealing town enhancements and hideous traffic-calming measures that assault and offend the eye. These examples being, dare I suggest, the meretricious tip of a monumental iceberg of waste. In view of this, the whinge from officialdom at the costs of maintain such an essential facility deserves a derisive response.

We are already obliged to tolerate waste of a different kind: that of sheep and dogs. Are the general public now, perforce, being encouraged to follow suit?

We should all, as Mr Stones suggest, feel compelled to rise up in active outrage at this cynical, myopic and wholly unjustified proposal.

M SEARBY, Jubilee Drive, Upper Colwall.