THE proposed expansion of the Safeway store will be of benefit only to the shareholders of Safeway and will be a disaster for the town of St Annes.

A much larger Safeway would stock a much larger range of products and eventually 24-hour opening. This would have an adverse effect on other businesses in the town with much greater competition resulting in many more empty shops.

They would also aim to attract many hundreds of customers from neighbouring areas in cars, and with St Andrews Road North -- a main thoroughfare to the town centre -- blocked off, all traffic to the Safeway car park would have to come through the Square or down the Crescent.

This would cause much congestion and pollution in the Square where residents and visitors alike sit on pleasant days.

The present store is amply big enough for this small seaside resort whose normal visitors are tourists who come here for a break from the chores of trailing round supermarkets.

Please let's keep it that way, otherwise this once delightful town of St Annes-on-Sea will simply become Safeway-on-Sea.

J Beaumont,

St Andrews Court,

St Andrews Road North,

St Annes.