FURTHER to your article in the Bolton Evening News of Friday, May 23, we wish to make the following comments on the fluoride issue.

1Considering the small proportion of our tap water which is actually consumed, it seems a very inefficient way of helping to reduce tooth decay among children from 'deprived' areas (less than one per cent of tap water is drunk by children under five i.e. the age group targeted by dentists). Aspirin would not be put into the water in case anyone had a headache.

1One of our sons has found that if he visits an area of the country with fluoride in the water, his digestive system will quickly react to this, causing bloating and severe pain.

Before he realised the connection, he found it difficult to understand why he would sometimes get these most unpleasant upsets when away and at other times be perfectly well.

He now takes bottles of our own local water with him if he knows that he has to stay in an area with fluoride and always uses fluoride-free toothpaste, so that he no longer gets these symptoms.

There must be other people with the same problem who have not yet realised the correlation.

3Surely everyone should have a right to a clean water supply which is as pure as possible. We wish every success to David Crausby in his campaign.

David and Rosemary Ashworth

Thornham Drive, Bolton