I HAVE read all the letters and articles regarding the state of the A&E Department at the Royal Bolton Hospital, and consider the letter from Mrs Jean Bates puts the case fair and square.

And I would like to enlarge on her comments as follows --

1. The Bolton Royal Infirmary should not have been closed, as it was far more convenient than the present rambling structure, and, when it closed, something around 250 beds were taken away from Bolton. The Royal Bolton has approximately 1,000 beds to cater for a catchment area of 11,000,000.

2. The population of Bolton would not support the pleas of those who could see what would happen if this hospital was closed. I have also pleaded over the past five years for a new hospital and, until the 1997 election, was supported by Mr Peter Thurnham, then MP for Bolton North East. The present MPs are hopeless -- Dr Iddon saying there is not enough money, the other two not even answering my letters. I live close to this hospital and hear complaints day in, day out.

3. Mrs Bates has covered the cost of "bank" nurses and the X-ray Dept problems. Regarding the useless "smoking shelters" -- I was walking the main corridor on Monday, Sept 17, when I noticed two cigarette ends on the plastic flooring. Luckily, they had been stubbed out -- otherwise another "Moat House" incident in the making.

4. I was on this corridor after attending the AGM in the Board Room where I was presented with a copy of the Report and Accounts, which had taken eight senior staff to compile and were printed on high quality paper complete with well-produced photographs which, in turn, had been made into slides for the benefit of the Chief Executive who used them with the overhead projector to help him present his report.

5. The Chief Executive made great work of polishing the Trust's halo by referring to the visit of a Minister from the Dept of Health, London. In his statement, he stated that the Minister was very impressed with the newly-extended A&E Dept and the economic cost of the work. Would he have been so impressed last week?

6. The Finance Officer skimmed through the accounts from which it was obvious that the £3,000,000 deficit is still in the offing.

7. Reference was made to the provision of more car parks, thus saving the roads on my estate being used for that purpose.

8. Regarding the Magistrates Court fiasco -- will the people still remain quiet while Manchester assassinates a dying town which is regarded as a slum in the making?

9. I have submitted to Councillor Howarth a plan which, long term, will give Bolton a new hospital, university (possibly) and legal buildings to which Manchester in no way can raise any objection, and bring back the long lost dignity of a town that is at its last gasp in need of oxygen to encourage visitors who are frequently deserting it in favour of Manchester, Bury and Wigan. If the population at present living in Bolton want to be swallowed up by these towns -- stay as quiet as you did over the BRI and reap the harvest you are sowing.

Dorothy B Waters

Winifred Road

Farnworth, Bolton