I HAVE been following with interest your coverage of the NIPA Laboratories incident in Oswaldtwistle, which happened on May 6.

As someone with strong connections with the National Asthma Campaign, being a chronic asthma sufferer myself, I think the constant problems experienced by residents of Oswaldtwistle at the hands of NIPA Laboratories are unacceptable.

A statement from NIPA (LET, May 14) said they were still carrying out investigations and it would be impossible to answer questions on residents' fears until these investigations are complete.

I am sorry, but that is just not good enough. The people in Oswaldtwistle are again being handed a bucket of fudge. I have to ask that with something that is obviously so serious for the local residents, why after seven days there were still no answers.

Why should it take so long to determine just what went wrong, where, and why? Or is it that the powers that be are just not interested?

Local Tory Councillors Doug and Sandra Hayes have called for a public meeting to be organised by Hyndburn Council, but yet no decision has been made.

Hyndburn Council and NIPA Laboratories owe it to these local councillors and the local residents to act now, not in two months time when the dust (or gas) has settled.

JOHN D FARRER, Mallard Place, Oswaldtwistle.

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