SIR - During a visit to Bradford on June 23 I had my vehicle stolen from a car park behind the Ice Rink. This is the second vehicle I have had stolen while visiting the city in the past five years.

When reporting the loss to the police I was informed by the desk clerk that this spot is one of the worst areas in which to park. Yet there are no signs warning of this.

I was born and raised in Bradford but I will in future be making no further visits to the city. This will mean I am unable to visit my elderly mother.

When I hear of the campaign to promote Bradford as Capital of Culture I will be doing my level best to inform the public at large what a run-down, god-forsaken place it has become, and should be avoided at all cost.

My suggestion is that a wall should be built around the city which would serve two purposes: to keep the people of Bradford away from anybody else, thus stopping any contamination; and to prevent anybody visiting the city, thus safeguarding them from the crime and deprivation which exist there.

J W Marsden, Birkhouse Road, Bailiffe Bridge, Brighouse.

SIR - Eric Firth (Letters, June 19), in lambasting the incompetence and mendacity of politicians, urges that the conduct of affairs be handed over to the military.

Well, they probably would ensure that the trains run on time - but then so did Hitler and Mussolini.

Democracy is a less-than-perfect system but infinitely superior in my book to placing our destinies in the hands of a bunch of unelected, unaccountable Colonel Blimps, some of dubious intellect and all of even more dubious political leanings.

Peter Wilson, Thornhill Grove, Calverley.

SIR - Last Sunday my daughter and three grandchilden and myself visited Haworth where we had a good time spending and having a nice tea. Returning to our car, the happy feeling was cruelly squashed. Having put three hours on the car-park ticket we returned with 35 minutes still on but found we had been clamped.

The man who had clamped us was easy to find. He was having trouble with a number of other visitors who understandably vowed never to visit Haworth again. When we approached him he was very rude and informed us that our ticket was not fully in view. Seemingly when we closed the car door it had moved and he couldn't see the time. We showed him the ticket with the 35 minutes still on but he didn't want to know.

We managed to scrape together £35 less 10p, which a man gave us after watching the disgraceful behaviour of the clamper, who obviously was enjoying his job. I have spoken to a number of visitors to Haworth this past week, and most have a similar story to tell. I think the shopkeepers should get together and inform people not to use the privately-run top car park.

Mrs M. Moran, Woodlands View, Hunter Park Avenue, Clayton

SIR - In his recent letter to your paper, Mr Ed Anderson, managing director of Leeds-Bradford Airport, has still not explained satisfactorily why so many of us in West Yorkshire have to trek to Manchester Airport, to Liverpool, to East Midlands and beyond in order to get the flights we require.

The new routes he quotes are mostly domestic and of no use whatever to travellers in Europe and beyond. Why for instance are there no flights from the airport to the popular island of Cyprus?

In my view, it is not really a sufficient response to ask customers themselves to write to airlines urging them to operate services from Leeds-Bradford Airport. This is the job of the professional marketing team at the airport who should be in possession of all the data necessary to do this.

Mr Anderson could make a start by welcoming the views of potential customers instead of always seeking to defend a service which could be much improved.

Donald M Wood, Swan Avenue, Bingley

SIR - There should be quotas for schools otherwise we will continue with schools which are 99 per cent one racial group or another.

It should be up to parents to decide which schools their children attend. That is called parental choice.

At the moment we are told by the education people where our children must go. If you are Asian you seem to have no choice but to send your child to an all-Asian school. Is this not educational apartheid?

Naila Ali, Heaton Park Drive, Heaton.

SIR - N. Brown's letter (T&A, June 24) left me puzzled. In the space of a few lines he sings the praises of the monarchy and then goes on to say that Britain should always remain a democracy, which I would have thought ruled out an unelected head of state.

As to fears of an elected president becoming a dictator, surely we would have more of a chance of voting out such a person than getting rid of an unelected monarch.

A greater worry for me is the situation when the next in line to the throne holds the views of a Le Pen, (or worse), which is bound to happen eventually. What will Mr Brown do then?

Alex Leach, Clifton Place, Shipley