BERYL PINES, of Southcote, Berkshire, writes:

As a regular visitor to Dartmouth with my family over the last 25 years, we thoroughly appreciate all this wondrous town has to offer and are drawn back time and time again.

During our latest visit, we have been reading about the re-routing of some of your bus services. We have always been dismayed how so many large vehicles are allowed to traverse your precious town centre, in particular your Boatfloat and Butterwalk areas. Walking the pavements and crossing the roads can be very hazardous – we have witnessed several incidents over the years and countless 'near misses'.

Duke Street has such narrow pavements that, especially during the summer months, people are often forced into the road, due to the sheer number of pedestrians – you certainly can't window shop – and the dented bollards are evidence that vehicles regularly have to mount the pavements.

Surely any reduction in the number of large vehicles on these roads has to be a good thing for the town and the majority of people including us visitors – many of whom are used to the benefit of pedestrian areas.

You can witness evidence of this, by how many wander aimlessly in the road of Duke Street, believing it to be so.

It may inconvenience some people not to have such immediate access to out-of-town bus services but there seems to be an excellent town service that could link easily to the double deckers.

Also, please be mindful of your wonderful historic buildings. Losing some to the dreadful fire a few years ago makes the ones you have even more precious and you should value them greatly. Having double decker buses passing within inches of them, surely cannot be good for them.

Keep the larger vehicles out of town and to the wider roads wherever you can and link to smaller vehicles for the town centre.