SIR - It's an absolute disgrace that Bradford Council has let the whole city down by simply passing the buck when asked by the organisers of the Curry Capital competition to submit what was only a short resume of why Bradford deserved to be selected as winners of the event.

At a time when the city is trying desperately to regain some kind of respectability following recent events that have tarnished its image, it is nothing short of a slap in the face for the hard-working owners of curry restaurants around the district and all Bradfordians, whom the Council is supposed to be representing.

Furthermore, it seems incredible that they chose to ignore six reminders from the organisers simply because nobody at City Hall could be bothered drawing up a basic argument in favour of the city's credentials.

Bradford has an excellent reputation far and wide for providing superb Asian cuisine and it is to be hoped that the Council make a much more concerted effort next year to ensure that the city is crowned as the official curry king!

Richard Briggs, Schellbachstrasse 9, Oberursel, Germany.

SIR - The T&A is always full of pleas from the Cleansing Department for the residents of Bradford to keep their city clean. Well why don't Bradford Council practice what they preach by providing places for the good people of Bradford to deposit their litter?

On one 300-yard stretch of Duckworth Lane there are eight takeaway eating places. On that same stretch of road there are four waste bins, three of which are on one side of the road. The remaining one is on the other side, and falling-part.

It is totally wrong for the job in hand, designed in such a way that you can't possibly get anything bigger than a paper bag in it.

These bins are always full to bursting, so Bradford Council, if you want cleaner streets, then provide more bins.

I know there will always be people who don't give a damn about their surroundings, but at least give the ones who do care somewhere to put their litter.

Shirley Potter, Duckworth Lane, Bradford 9.

SIR - Mr Boocock is mistaken to dismiss the possibility of building a Bradford cross-rail link as "absolutely zero" (T&A, June 9).

Metro's Railplan aspires to a "rail compatible link" between the two stations, and Mr Prestage, spokesman for Metro, acknowledges that the link has been identified as a potential route in a feasibility study (T&A, June 5).

Bradford Cross-rail is supported by the Countryside Agency, Rail Passenger Council, Yorkshire Forward, Otley Town Council and EWS Rail Goods Company. In contrast the attitude of Bradford Council has been disappointing. The scheme has been dismissed on invalid grounds ranging from excuses concerning the levels of the stations, to the claim that the Law Courts obstruct any alignment between the stations, to the fact that a decision was taken by the former County Council that the scheme wasn't viable!

It is a fact that a cross-city rail link would offer far more benefits to the city than any absurd "Capital of Culture" bid.

Alex Suchi, secretary of Bradford Rail Users Group, Allerton Road, Allerton.

SIR - David James has been Bishop of Bradford since January 4, 2003, yet he is already an authority on Bradford's heritage. He apparently is unaware that asylum seekers are here temporarily until processed.

The indigenous people of Bradford have absorbed 80,000 Muslims and been insulted constantly for 40 years as racists.

The Church of England has a long history of not only doing nothing for the poor but frequently, as a landlord, squeezing the dispossessed dry.

Does the C of E organise Christmas succour to Bradford's poor, like other churches?

When the Bishop has been here long enough, he will realise that Bradford was built with non-Conformist money, the Irish navvy and an army of desperately poor Britons.

Bradford currently accepts many Asian Muslims annually through arranged marriages and pays heavily, in taxes, to raise these newcomers to an acceptable European standard.

Les Brotherton, Caroline Street, Saltaire.

SIR - What hope is there for Bradford people when the Council can't even get the name of their own refurbished building on John Street right?

For all the world to see, the promotional material for the Bradford Festival shows John Street Market as part of the route plan. In 2001 it was renamed The Oastler Shopping Centre. The Lord Mayor of the day opened it officially last June.

I would suggest someone sends a memo to all council departments telling them to amend their records accordingly.

Richard Mead, Kenstone Crescent, Idle.

SIR - Just to let you know that I have received the cheese today which I won in the T&A competition. It is packed in a lovely round wicker basket and looks very tempting. I'm sure I will enjoy it.

Keep the competitions rolling. I enjoy doing them all. Many thanks.

Ivy Pell, Round Street, West Bowling.

SIR - On studying the T&A Court Files, I notice the average fine for driving without insurance is £220. As I pay around £350 per annum maybe I should not pay it next year because if I get caught I still save £130.

What a crazy system. They'll be locking up people for defending their homes and allowing thugs to sue their victims next! No, surely that would be too absurd!

K A Naylor, Farside Green, Little Horton.

SIR - I have read with interest the many letters both for and against the proposed conversion of Wilsden Methodist Church. None of those against have suggested an alternative as to what could be done with this increasingly ugly, decaying building.

Surely it would be better to lose the green area in order to improve the building rather than keep the green, which will become unusable as the church continues to crumble.

I cannot see that there is any viable use for the church other than residential, and for this a parking area is needed. From the traffic point of view I wouldn't think that the small amount of extra traffic generated from the number of units planned is a great concern.

I think the village should support the conversion project.

Mrs Carol Dixon, Ling Park Avenue, Wilsden.

SIR - As one who likes fishing, I find the argument for and against somewhat baffling.

Are the people so very much against angling unaware of the trauma animals must go through being slaughtered and poultry hung upside down waiting to have their throats cut?

Even shoals of helpless fish caught in trawler nets meet a slow death floundering when caught.

I find fishing very relaxing as do the odd million or so who partake.

We tend to keep ourselves to ourselves and return our catch unharmed. We use barbless hooks which are removed with the minimum of fuss.

I recently caught a distinctly marked fish almost immediately again, which must prove a point.

All anglers should use these barbless hooks. Many clubs now insist upon it.

Kenneth E Higgins, Bempton Court, Great Horton.

SIR - Do we really trust the Chancellor to decide when is the right time to join the European currency, when the same Gordon Brown sold a large proportion of our gold reserves at the lowest possible price?

Do we really trust our politicians - a sample of whom received the lowest-ever marks (25) in a University Challenge programme on BBC2?

If we do, we want our heads testing.

Winston White, Staybrite Avenue, Cottingley.

SIR - May I express my thanks to the unknown gentleman who very kindly came to my assistance when my car broke down in Listerhills Road on May 16.

His help was much appreciated as I was taking my 94-year-old aunt to visit her husband in hospital.

Unfortunately I do not know the man's name but hopefully he will know how grateful my aunt and I were for his help.

S Knight, Norman Lane, Bradford 2.

SIR - I was really angry at the stupid way the law has dealt with farmer Tony Martin who shot dead one burglar and maimed the other. They should have both died for persistently trying to enter this man's house to burgle and rob him.

The law should be on the farmer's side and not on that of a burglar, who only got what was coming to him.

Interpretation of these stupid laws protecting criminals is beyond belief.

Bill Hudson, Woodvale Close, Tyersal.