I believe Henry McGill (Apl 9) may be a tad premature in his belief that, should the council provide special bins for smokers and chewing gum chompers, they would not use them.

I was a smoker, but am now a nicotine replacement gum addict, courtesy of the NHS scheme for a healthier and more beautiful you, but do always try dispose of my spent gum responsibly.

However, last year, soon after the draconian and petty-minded miserable Government introduced the law to treat smokers as public enemy number one, and while still a smoker I wanted to look around a charity shop, but what to do with my dog end?

I could not smoke inside the shop and there was a pair of unisex policepersons standing just a few yards down wind of me so chucking it on the deck was not an option.

The only receptacle nearby was a litter bin on a lamppost so as a law-abider, in went ciggie butt.

It must have been a good five minutes later when the woman came screaming into the shop (Corp Jones, don't panic mode) to advise that a bin was on fire outside and as such was expertly extinguished by a small but lively elderly lady wielding a bottle of Fanta.

So you see, we really could do with somewhere for smokers to stub out and dispose of potential fire hazards for the safety of the town and its pier.

Come to think of it, I was enjoying a Superking and watching the Waverley dock on the pier some hours before it caught fire.

Now there's a coincidence for you, because I don't remember any ash trays there either!

Trevor Murdin
Flemming Crescent
Leigh