IN last Monday's correspondence column of the Daily Telegraph business section there was a long letter critical of Tesco's and Sainsbury's relentless expansion.

It was written from Derbyshire, about Matlock, a town probably the same size as Tavistock, and the author wrote, ' . . . they engross all trade in more and more kinds of items so that they eventually dictate, as currently Sainsbury does in Matlock, all policy about most things to the community . . . '

Townsfolk who yet regret the decision to reject Sainsbury's recent appeal are not listening to the voice of such experience, and it really would have been very sad if Tavistock had had to re-learn for itself a lesson already taught at such cost elsewhere.

Commander A D Johnson RN Ret'd

Newtake Road

Whitchurch