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Parking fee shock

THIS week I had occasion to travel to Bath by train and drove to Swindon railway station in plenty of time before my departure with the intention of parking my car at the long stay car park.

Upon arrival it immediately became apparent that the station car parking facility was woefully inadequate with no spaces to be found and many vehicles ‘double parked’. I proceeded to other nearby car parks only to find similar problems and finally, with only 10 minutes to spare, parked in the old multi-storey in Fleming Way.

I returned to my car some six hours and eight minutes later only to find that these extra eight minutes had caused my parking fee to increase from £8.60 to £22.00!

I fully appreciate the need for charges to increase in line with the duration of stay but how on earth is such a financial step change justified? This must make Swindon one of the most expensive places per hour in which to park outside of Central London.

Is this extortionate revenue going to be used to provide more adequate station parking or is it financing the road work misery currently imposed upon Swindon road users?

TERRY JAMES

White Edge Moor, Liden

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Waste of money

“DAD is fuming ... “ article (Novemer 30th) is not surprising. The council’s new refuse collection schedules, which were supposed to be more effective and cost efficient, have been quite the reverse in Highworth. Before the changes, refuse vehicles came out to Highworth once a week. Now they come out, from Swindon, twice a week.

Examples of incomprehensible new collection routes include: Swindon Road collection on one day, but adjoining Brewery Street on a different day.

More incomprehensible: Part of Priory Green runs into The Cullerns and the Dormers. The Priory Green properties ( no more than six properties) have their refuse collected on Wednesday, whereas The Cullerns and The Dormers are collected on Tuesday.

Surely the cost of sending vehicles out to the Highworth area on more than one day in such an inefficient way, must be costing the council more than necessary.

PAT NORMAN

Highworth

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Too lenient by half

I SEE that I had a response from Martin Webb, to my letter about prisons. He has his opinion, I have mine!

My letter was not an ‘Echo of anything in the Daily Mail’. In my humble opinion, prisons are seen as holiday camps by many.

Years ago visitors had to speak to inmates through a glass screen via a telephone. Not now.

A friend told me recently that he was on a coastal walk and the path was eroded and, in conversation with a ‘local’, the ‘local’ said, ‘they used to get the prisoners out repairing these things years ago but they can’t drag them away from their TVs now’.

My friend remarked “‘if we had 100,000 prisoners, I would buy 100,000 pick axes and send the prisoners to the quarry to work’.

I know there are reasons in all things but I feel we are too lenient by half.

Hopefully all of our prisoners will have a very happy Christmas.

I am in the middle of writing some cards for them.

We now have a 5ft tall clairvoyant who has escaped from a local prison so beware, we have a small medium at large.

CHRIS GLEED

Proud Close

Purton