IN common with many other residents of Tavistock, I have in the past been critical of the low priority that Tavistock Town Council appeared to give to the provision of play facilities for children in our parks.

The town council has listened to these complaints and is making considerable efforts to improve the situation. Advice and opinions have been sought as to what is needed, comparisons have been made with facilities available elsewhere in the district, and considerable sums of local taxpayers' money have been set aside for investment.

It seems astonishing then, that in such a small relatively close-knit community as Tavistock, these efforts can be frustrated by vandals who appear to have no concept of caring for the needs of others, even when those others are small children.

Playgrounds in other communities in West Devon do not seem to suffer attacks from such selfish people. What is wrong with Tavistock?

The play facilities are provided by all the taxpaying residents of Tavistock so belong to us all. It seems that we will need to set up Neighbourhood Watches to protect our community possessions. What a sad state of affairs!

Cllr Peter Donkin

9 Chestnut Close, Bishopsmead

SO, yet again we hear of vandalism in the Meadows, costing the local community more and more money. Well, yobs will be yobs. But how to deter them?

Thousands of pounds are spent on putting a cycle path on a totally inappropriate stretch of road, ie Whitchurch to Grenofen.

In eight years of travelling that road I have seen only two pedestrians and a couple of cyclists. The cyclists, since the new 'improvements' continued cycling on the road, therefore the road is potentially far more dangerous than before.

By contrast, the cycle path at Crease Lane is an altogether different story and well worth the expense, I am sure.

If money; the publics' money; were not so shamefully wasted perhaps we could manage a few more lights in the Meadows and a limited CCTV system.

I am all for road safety, but in all my journeys on the aforementioned road I have never witnessed an accident, or anything approaching one, thank goodness. But the Meadows is always in the news with reference to bad publicity.

We have far too many zealots for a cause but not enough people with all round common sense.

F W Hughes

21 Priory Close

Tavistock