I HAVE great sympathy with Brian Gordon and his wife over the loss of their hawthorn trees (Wiltshire Times March 10).

A similar thing happened to us when we lived in Greenford, Middlesex, in the 1960s. All the trees along the railway line were cut down with the same excuse leaves on the line. I could never understand the sudden resolve to demolish all these lovely trees when no accident had ever happened in the many years we lived there. The trees were inspected regularly.

In these modern ridiculous attempts to try to avoid any kind of accident we seem to have gone crazy. This attitude will turn us into a nation of cowards and namby-pambies. We may as well all just stay in bed all day.

K Davey, Westbury