YOU report that planners are blaming poor winter weather for the delay in the pedestrianisation of Church Street in Blackburn (LET, March 26).

It would be interesting to hear if the Executive Director (Regeneration and Technical) of Blackburn with Darwen Council shares this view.

It seems that each time something goes wrong with any of the alterations being carried out in the centre of town, you go running after Councillor Ashley Whalley to comment. Far be it from me to come to the defence of our Executive Member for Regeneration, but on this occasion he is not to blame!

Right from the outset, the work was delayed because of the lack of drawings, showing in sufficient detail, the location of mains services -- gas, electricity, water, sewers, etc. Indeed, the second or third week after work had commenced, the contractors damaged a water main that was not shown on any drawing.

Then, the underground Victorian public conveniences were uncovered and had to be in filled. When a drawing, showing the location of statues with their water requirements eventually appeared, it was found that services, which were already laid, had to be diverted.

More cellar voids appeared as work commenced on the lower end of the street, which all had to be in filled, once again causing more delays. It was the week immediately prior to the Christmas holidays before the businesses at the lower end of the street had no longer to contend with barrier fencing and general disruption, causing loss of trade.

Judging by the artist's impressions submitted prior to the commencement of the project and upon which the planning application must have been based, what has now appeared would make me tend to think that the planners have been making it up as they go along.

I wonder what the council's views would be, if someone else submitted an artist's impression for approval and then proceeded to build something completely different.

Two weeks' bad weather had very little to do with it. Once again, the truth is papered over as we have become only too well accustomed to.

RON CRANE, Walden Road, Blackburn.