SIR - I have just read the article in today’s T&A in regard to the cost of congenital problems caused by first cousin marriages. I couldn’t agree more. First cousin marriages should be banned.

I remember, as a child, there was a first cousin marriage in mother’s family. One of her sisters married a cousin. The net result was one of their children was, what we called “simple”. She was a beautiful girl, but it was obvious to me, as a child, that there was something “not right” with her.

If that happened with just one set of cousins marrying, surely, when you have it taking place over several generations, the problem gets worse.

I noticed at the end of the article that Dr Sheridan states that the chance of birth defects increases from three per cent to six per cent. Surely, even if the “absolute risk is still small”, that six per cent is siphoning off much needed funds from the NHS that could be used in other areas.

David Lee, Central Avenue, Baildon