I WAS appalled to read about the "Pub on Prom plans halted", (Citizen, June 20). It has long been suspected that some licensing authorities are in thrall to certain major brewery chains.

The Weatherspoon chain has achieved an extraordinary and totally justifiable, expansion over recent years.

Weatherspoons pubs throughout the United Kingdom offer (a) a pleasant environment, (b) an excellent menu at reasonable prices, (c) no raucous music or televisions interfering with conversation, and (d) prices for all drinks, be it coffee or alcohol, which decimate other establishments.

Yesterday in Blackpool I went into one fairly ordinary town centre pub and had to pay £2.20 for a pint of bitter. My next call was Weatherspoons, St Annes, where I paid 99p for exactly the same beer.

Joe Curran's comments are quite ludicrous. Has he ever witnessed the drunken yobs pouring out of the existing town centre/promenade pubs in what he disingenuously remarks is "a family and children orientated area".

Even places like the comparatively genteel Eastbourne have a town centre Weatherspoons, which does not create problems.

Joe Curran's attention would be better directed to closing down a few of the raucous, yob filled, expensive town centre pubs and allowing an organisation with a proven track record to get on with what they are doing incredibly successfully.

L. Booth,

St Andrews Road South,

St Annes.