WHILE I have great admiration for the work of the fire service, your correspondent Mr Tony Harris is not likely to drum up much public sympathy by his letter complaining of the way that HQ staff were used to post leaflets explaining the employers side of their dispute.

The letters to individual firemen could have the envelopes addressed by a computer and the postage by a franking machine.

It should not have taken one clerk more than three hours to put leaflets in 1,400 envelopes. Hardly a case for public outcry.

Meanwhile we are kept in the dark about the nature of the dispute. If there is a prospect of injustice against the firemen then this should be clearly explained to us so that we can lobby our county councillors and MPs.

The fire service is a state monopoly and those who manage it and work for it are in a privileged position. Our lives and the protection of property may well depend on their efficiency and availability. We must hope that the dispute does not sink to a squabble about who licks the stamps.

Thomas Manson Albert Road Morecambe

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.