MAY I express my distaste and disagreement at the way in which Burnley's Labour-controlled council are trying to divert the public's attention and, therefore, their criticism of the council by creating the illusion that St James' Church spire with the peace garden is to be preserved and relocated?

It is devious, dishonest and immoral to try to hoodwink people into believing that the spire is to be relocated.

The council has learned absolutely nothing from the atrocious and disastrous mistakes of the 1960s when our old Victorian market centre was demolished.

Despite public criticism, the council will, in due course, destroy the church spire and sell the stone. The proceeds, I suspect, will go towards funding either some politically-correct organisation or scheme or, alternatively, more concrete Legoland-type constructions which, in not so many years, will probably fall down and be rebuilt at the taxpayers' expense.

Expecting Burnley's Labour council to preserve our heritage is like expecting to find snow in the desert, and I suspect there is more chance of that.

MR S SMITH, Burnley Heritage Centre, St James Street, Burnley.

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