RICHARD WHITE, of Above Town, Dartmouth, writes:

November is part of the quiet season in Dartmouth. Some restaurants and cafes close for a few weeks to take holidays or redecorate. Others cannot afford to keep all their staff. If it were not for the tourist season, many businesses would no longer exist.

Costa hopes to open in Dartmouth. This is certainly not good news for our cafes and tea rooms. Is this truly a viable proposition for Costa, or is it simply adding Dartmouth to the list of its many outlets, including petrol-filling stations, supermarkets, cinemas, hospitals etc?

If Costa is permitted to open, I fear several cafes and privately owned tea rooms may close.

Fill in the ‘no to Costa’ ­petition at www.change.org.