SIR: I write in response to your article 'Suite and Sour Alec' (May 18).

I find it staggering that anyone can be as selfish and inconsiderate as Mr Bromley apparently is.

How can he feel that he has the right to clutter up a public pavement? Or that he is being 'persecuted' by Bolton Council because they have demanded that he obey the same rules as everyone else?

Just because his suites are 'a familiar sight' on Bridge Street, does not mean they are appreciated. I, for one, resent having to push a pram into the road because Mr Bromley's furniture has taken over. It must be a nightmare trying to negotiate a wheelchair around it. What is the point in introducing Motability schemes if people are going to deliberately barricade the pavements?

So Mr Bromley doesn't have a window to disply his goods and attract customers? Tough. perhaps that problem should have occurred to him when he leased the premises. Besides, who wants a suite that has been stuck outside on a dirty road, exposed to traffic fumes and whatever else if floating about?

I'm sure that whoever has just announced their intention to spend £6 million regenerating the old Co-op site would not appreciate the outside of their development being an extension to Alec's premises either.

We pedestrians, especially those of us with prams, small children, wheelchairs etc have enough to contend with avoiding all the other pavement wreckers, without armchairs and settees adding to the problems. It is not 'stupid bureaucracy' when the legislation being enforced is designed to ensure the safety of the pedestrian and allow people to use the pavement as it was originally intended - and not as a free showroom.

C Price, Tonge Moor

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.