SIR – I was disturbed to learn that Britain faces a shortage of skilled tradesmen such as plumbers, builders and bricklayers and the number working as window cleaners, carpenters and painters and decorators is also in decline.

Experts blame the economic downturn and a housing market which is still recovering.

The Lib/Con coalition government wants to reduce youngsters going to university by 50 per cent, but the old route to work for the working class youngster is no longer there as there are hardly any apprenticeships available nowadays.

In any event, being a tradesman is no longer the job it used to be because wages and stability have been cut by the mass immigration from Eastern Europe – you only have to look at the number of Polish plumbers to be found on dozens of websites.

This will become worse when the waves of Romanian and Bulgarian migrants descend on us in January, which now seems inevitable as there is no political will in any of the old parties to stop it.

So, what will become of the next generation of our young people?

M DALEBO

Worcester