Dear Editor,

I would like to reach out to the young man who tried to kill me this morning.

I was driving along the bypass, going away from Wellington.

Near the junction with Pope’s Lane, you were overtaking a long, articulated lorry at speed on a totally blind corner.

If I had not slammed on the brakes and pulled sharply to the left, we would both be dead, crushed in a head-on collision.

It was an insane, suicidal piece of overtaking.

Please just think of all your family members and friends who would be devastated by your death, and use this narrow escape to change the way you drive in future.

Name and address supplied.

Dear Editor,

The demands from Rachel Gilmour, MP for Tiverton and Minehead, that the Prime Minister rule out the use of UK bases for strikes against Iran are risking the lives of our service members for political gain. As someone whose family has been directly targeted by the Iranian regime here in the UK, I know firsthand that the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps does not discriminate and does not respect international law. The thousands of Iranians murdered by their own government this year alone should be proof enough that this regime cannot be reasoned with.

By working to block our allies, Rachel Gilmour is effectively leaving thousands of British soldiers, airmen, and their families stationed in Cyprus at risk. The first duty of any government, and any MP, is the protection of its people. To prioritise political posturing over the immediate, defensive security of our service members in the line of fire is a dereliction of duty. The government has now rightly reversed its position; Rachel Gilmour should do the same.

James Wright

Exmoor

Dear Editor,

With all the recent headlines about non-stun religious animal slaughter, and the Food Labelling (Halal and Kosher Meat) Bill introduced by MP Esther McVey on February 24, 2026, I feel compelled to speak up!

From my perspective, the entire debate around “stun vs non-stun” misses the bigger issue. Whether an animal is stunned or not, they are still being killed. The label doesn’t change the outcome for the individual whose life is taken.

Over a ten-year period, Animal Aid carried out undercover investigations inside 16 slaughterhouses — both stun and non-stun. What they documented was deeply disturbing. Their footage shows animals improperly stunned, violently handled, and in some cases still conscious while their throats were cut. These weren’t isolated incidents. They revealed routine suffering, repeated law-breaking, and systemic failures.

The suffering exposed by Animal Aid isn’t confined to one method, one faith, or one label. It runs throughout the meat industry as a whole. Personally, I don’t believe there is an “ethical” way to kill someone who does not want to die. Animals are not products. They are individuals. And they deserve to live free from harm and exploitation.

Alex Harman, via email

Dear Editor,

A 39 traffic chaos at £600,000 cost to us local Council Taxpayers. Only 30 years old and "could fail"?

Who authorises these works and who says they require all this expense?

If it ain’t broke don’t fix it.

Does a potential fault really need all these works?

May be a re wire or circuit board replacement resulting in minimal disruption would have sufficed

Is it the old council excuses of capital versus revenue budgets?

Endless arguments concerning revenue versus capital expenditure ensue that Highways almost always prefer the poorly executed "bodge up" as opposed to a well constructed repair

We still await the original mandatory traffic management plan.

The contractors (Centregreat) should have been required to maintain a manual control system at all times given the delays and to legally have to pay the council and local businesses compensation.

Why was this not part of the contract?

Yours sincerely,

Stuart Dowding, via email

Dear Editor,

Cats Protection is calling on the public to sign its Open Letter after the government’s new Animal Welfare Strategy failed to include any regulation of cat breeding - a decision that puts cats at growing risk of harm.

Harmful and extreme breeding practices, including the emergence of breeds such as the so-called Bully cat, are increasing. Without regulation, anyone can breed kittens with no welfare standards, leading to serious health, behavioural and welfare problems.

We are dismayed the government has chosen to leave cats behind. By failing to address harmful breeding practices, the government has effectively sanctioned the continued escalation of dangerous trends, allowing sick and suffering cats to be bred.

It sends a troubling message: that cats do not matter enough to receive the same protections as other animals. We urgently need public support to demand meaningful action.

Please help us advocate for cats by adding your name to the Open Letter at www.cats.org.uk

Madison Rogers

Associate director of advocacy and campaigns, Cats Protection