SIR - As a retired chartered building surveyor I am shocked at the High Street paving debacle which has been going on for many years.

I read with disbelief that a county council spokesman said: "they try to find the right balance to make the High Street stable and safe".

The design and laying of paving is not rocket science. As the county council has been laying paving all over the county for decades why can it not get the High Street paving right? It is clear from your photographs and my personal observations that the repairs that have been carried out are of an unacceptably low standard and are contributing to the ongoing problems.

There are many historical sites, both in this country and around the world, where you can see paving hundreds of years old which is in better condition than our High Street. So, why is the county council finding it so difficult to produce a satisfactory paving surface?

R G CLEWS, Worcester.