BEFORE the bulldozers arrive, perhaps I can start the discussion about who should pay for the Western Bypass.

Obviously, it's going to cost a lot more than the quote of £55 million. Then there's policing costs; at Newbury they budgeted for about £1million and ended up paying over 20 times that! I propose the costs be split between those that have led us into this mess.

First, substantial donations by all the major employers who have failed to give their staff alternatives to arriving by car -- such as the University and Nuclear Electric.

Second, a chunk from North Western Trains for failing to provide a half decent service to Heysham.

Third, a fine to all politicians who, as demonstrated by an exam, who can be shown to have never read any documents on the subject but who have voted anyway. Fourth, the same for a certain newspaper editor, who is busy pedalling half-truths for the sake of his sad newspaper's circulation without a care for consequences to the district. Finally, a tax on anyone who regularly and unnecessarily uses their car for little local journeys and then moans about congestion. Then again, we could just avoid all this and not build the blighter in the first place.

H George Lancaster