Sir, It seemed a good idea when I read in the Observer that the Narberth Chamber of Trade had arranged for the school playground to be used for shoppers' car parking on Christmas Eve -although perhaps any monies collected would be better served going to school funds rather than street decorations. When I drove through town about 10.30 am on Christmas Eve, the need for additional parking became apparent. Three or four public parking places on the right-hand side of the High Street had been used by shopkeepers as a collection point for their waste and rubbish, on each side of which were police traffic cones reserving even more space. When a refuse collection vehicle eventually arrived, it stopped in the middle of the road without any consideration for other road users and took about 15 minutes to clear the vast amount of waste. As a result, the entire centre of town was gridlocked and the traffic hold-up passed Mill Lane practically to Narberth Bridge. Apparently this type of activity has the full approval of the police, because I had been informed by my county councillor that certain members of the Chamber of Trade have been provided with this official police equipment for their personal use.
John H. Gillson, Narberth.