Obviously, supermarkets and other independent retailers may have varying distribution and transport costs but BP, which has a pipeline terminal in St James, should not have these higher costs and the Westbridge Service Station is virtually next door.

So why are their prices so much higher than many suppliers in Wellingborough?

I think that we are being seriously ripped off and I will keep making a trip to Wellingborough so as to not subscribe to greedy suppliers.
John Rundle,
Balfour Road, Northampton.

Building more homes in secret
Last Thursday (July 31) I was present at the meeting of Kings Heath Residents' Association (KHRA).

We discussed another secretive proposal of WNDC (West Northamptonshire Development Corporation) called "Infilling of council estates in West Northamptonshire" and in particular the case of Kings Heath Estate.

Why secretive? Because there was no representatives of any local government body, including WNDC, to explain what's going on.

It is a complex law between council and tenants and some tenants have bought their houses in Kings Heath. People are genuinely worried about what's going to happen and are in need of some answers.

"Infilling" is a polite term for building on green spaces and garage areas in older estates which have a lower housing density than new ones.

The idea is that this will make the older estates as dense and closely-packed as the new ones.

Obviously the garage tenants, who will lose a fairly secure place to leave their vehicles, are worried.

A number of disabled people who have garages will also be affected because the terms of their insurance state that their vehicle must be garaged overnight.

By contract, the council needs only give two weeks' notice to terminate a contract and, after owning a garage for 10 years or more, this will be a big shock for many families.

When KHRA members tried to find out about the garages' status, there were no answers. Inquiries included how many garages are rented out? Is there a waiting list? How are they maintained and what is the general condition of the buildings?

What Kings Heath residents need is a transparent local government service.

They are not against development in Spencer Ward but they are against secrecy and mistrust.
Ivan Sljivic,
Aberdeen Terrace, Northampton.

Gas price hike of 35% is obscene
In response to the letter by Lee Wade (August 2), while I do appreciate the difficulty in raising a family at any time, I would just like to point out to him that the majority of pensioners are living on a fixed income, with no possibility of additions.

Eighty per cent of OAPs live solely on their state pension, which only increases when the Government allows and always in arrears and below the rate of inflation.

I do think that young families (and having raised a large family myself, I understand the frustrations) do now have certain avenues open to them, such as family tax credits etc.

The winter fuel allowance (£200) in no way compensates for the increase in the energy charges.

Surely the answer is for the Government to step in and stop these increases by a windfall tax, or some such method.

It is obscene that British Gas can hike up prices by 35 per cent when they are making one billion pounds in profit.

But I will not hold my breath for this uncaring bunch presently at the helm to do anything, when all they have done so far is to allow themselves to have more out of treasury via expenses and overblown salaries.
Doug Buckle,
Kentstone Close, Northampton.

Basket bazaar
IT is so refreshing to come across an event in Northampton which is interesting, free, well-organised and different.

This was the case on Saturday, when my son and I cut through The Fishmarket to return to our car.

Imagine our surprise when we stumbled upon the bicycle basket bazaar.
There was such a lovely atmosphere and the organisers were so welcoming.

They explained that everything had to be sold out of a bicycle basket.
There were many different items for sale and all had to be hand-made or home-grown.

I bought a lovely muffin and my son bought an air-freshener for his car in the style of a Cobblers' shirt.

The girl who sold us this was so sweet and she explained that there would be another event on August 23.

I urge your readers to attend as I'm sure they will have a very enjoyable afternoon.
R C Skidmore (Mrs)
Beech Avenue, Northampton.

Development is like a bomb site
I'M once again writing about the former St Edmund's hospital building site – or bomb site – in Northampton.

The developer's sheer lack of sensitivity, respect and consideration for nearby businesses and residents is out of order.

Perhaps the developer would at least be good enough to refresh our memories as to his vision for the site and, more importantly, indicate some form of timetable which might apply in future. Or are the town folk of Northampton expected to look at the continuing eyesore forever?

That such a festering sore is allowed to continue so close to the town centre reflects very badly on the Lib Dem council and our MPs.

Something practical must be done to clean up the site.
E Fitzpatrick,
Ridgeway, Northampton.

Parking on paths
I pay a large amount of money to have grass verges and pavements maintained, yet the minority decide that using them is more convenient than using their driveways.

Windsor Crescent has small signs stating it is illegal to park on the pavement or grass verge and they are overseen by traffic wardens, with an automatic fine if vehicles are seen to be breaking the law.

The majority of residents would also like these signs in their streets.

Parking on pavements causing obstruction is a resident placing a curfew on a disabled person.

There are also businesses selling cars and using all the limited road parking, so residents have no chance to park.

Often cars do not display a tax disc. Why should they? No-one is checking.
Pamela Crane,
Park Lane, Duston, Northampton.