Anonymity is granted only at the discretion of the editor, who also reserves the right to edit letters.

Seeing the furore involving Bradley Wiggins and Team Sky, it must be plain for all to see that, over many years, nearly every athlete in the world has taken some sort of ‘Performance Enhancing’ product, ‘Tue’s’, etc that would be outside of any investigation remit. All of those who are quick to criticise etc, are probably in envy of others. Like those who have lost titles after a ban and now seek to ‘point the finger’ at other successes.

We, in this country we’re generally ‘too clean’ for our own good in the past. In fact we never had the kind of ‘cheats’ in football until foreign players came along.

Get real, it’s happening all of the time!

Chris Gleed, Proud Close, Purton

With the second week of Fairtrade Fortnight in full swing people up and down the country are celebrating the difference Fairtrade makes and standing with the farmers and producers who make the products we love. This year we are inviting people to ‘Come On In’ to Fairtrade and find out about the lives of the people who make the things we love to eat, drink and wear.

We want people to stop and think about the people behind the products they enjoy every day, and find out how Fairtrade helps producers in developing countries. It’s a sad fact that exploitation is still rife in our food chains.

It’s not easy to think about but when you consider that: 1 in 3 people in Kenya’s coffee and tea growing regions live in poverty, or that the average cocoa farmer in Côte d’Ivoire lives on less than 40p a day you can see that Fairtrade is as needed now as it ever was.

So, next time you buy a coffee or tuck into some delicious chocolate, pause for a second and think about where it came from, the farmers who grew the coffee beans or the cocoa, and consider choosing Fairtrade to ensure they get a fair deal. You can find out more about Fairtrade Fortnight and the work of Fairtrade at www.fairtrade.org.uk

Cheryl McGechie, Director of Public Engagement, The Fairtrade Foundation

In reply to letter ref rubbish in back alleys from Gwyneth Owens, Calne, I would like to respond by saying that I lived in Graham Street for 24 years from 1987 to 2011 and the alleyways were always deemed to be public thoroughfares and not private land as she was informed.

Also the drainage systems run along them as do the water mains plus the fire hydrants are also in the alleyways and to obstruct these is an offence. Is this another case our inept Council absolving their responsibilities?

M C Strange, Walcot Road, Swindon

Very intrigued reading the article on page 4 of Saturday’s Adver (03/03) and the delightful photo taken at the Cotswold Wildlife Park with the “Arctic” penguins. If the staff bravely released a couple of these birds, perhaps they could attempt the long perilous journey to “Antarctica” and meet the polar bears?

Bryan Conie, Wheeler Avenue, Swindon