SIR - I was posting some letters at Bradford's main post office and was preparing everything on the counter by the window, including my purse ready to be used, when a tall gentleman leaned over me and asked me to lend him a pen.

I looked into my bag for a pen when I heard him saying: "It doesn't matter, I'll get it at the counter," and he swiftly went away. But when I looked at my letters my purse had gone too.

There was not much money in it (about £15) but the purse was precious to me, and it had my name and address on it in the window. I am a pensioner and I hope the gentleman will be honest enough to return my purse.

PS. When I was a child I had a book with many pictures in it, including a picture of a thief. He was very ugly, crippled and bent, with a wrinkled evil-looking face. I used to be frightened to look at him. Now I cannot see the face of my thief but in my mind he is exactly like the picture in my child's book.

Mrs Vera Smereka, Park View Road, Bradford.

SIR - So the fire crews have decided to strike. Good luck to them, but I think they are well paid now when you realise that their wages are paid for by the council taxpayers of each city or town, some of whom are among the poorest-paid pensioners in the Western world.

If they strike, we are left with the Army to look after us, but they would do a better job if they were allowed to use the real fire engines instead of the out-of-date Green Goddesses.

After all, these fire engines belong to us, the public, who pay for them through council tax and not to the firemen.

I am not denigrating the firemen, but let's be fair. Lots of lives could be at risk especially at this time of the year, around Bonfire Night.

Come on lads, compromise!

N Brown, Peterborough Place, Undercliffe.

SIR - I congratulate you on your Comment article of October 14 with regard to the proposed closure of the residential homes by the Bradford Council. I wrote a strong letter of protest earlier which you kindly published.

I read several weeks ago that Councillor Jeanette Sunderland, the leader of the Liberal group on the Council, had reservations regarding the proposed closures.

Due to the fact we have in Bradford a hung Council, the fate of these old, frail and vulnerable people is apparently in her hands. Which way will her party vote?

I sincerely hope they will oppose these outrageous closures and leave the old people to live in peace and contentment.

H Senior, Howden Close, Holme Lane, Bradford 4.

SIR - I would like to warn all potential visitors to St Luke's Hospital of the grave danger they may be in when crossing Little Horton Lane from the official car park.

Motorists seem to have forgotten the rules on stopping at a zebra crossing. Is this because there are no traffic lights?

Over the past week I have seen many cars speeding by and today I was nearly mown down by a man more interested in punching numbers into his mobile phone as he sped over the crossing even though the traffic on the other side of the road had stopped.

Remember: this is not an Accident and Emergency hospital!

Mrs S M Swain, Woodlands Grove, Heaton.

SIR - Why don't the powers-that-be make it possible to run fireworks clubs, just like Christmas clubs? Pay weekly, get your goods on the day, or the day before if November 5 falls on a Sunday.

You must have heard the bangs and seen the night sky lit up, like a gun barrage.

This way maybe we can all enjoy Bonfire Night.

Harry Flynn, Powell Avenue, Little Horton, Bradford 5.

SIR - Crime certainly seems to be on the increase and the nature of crime is becoming more vicious and life threatening. Yet we have the police telling us they are achieving their targets.

To crown all, the court reports published by your newspapers tell me one thing only: our local magistrates and judges seem completely out of touch when sentencing - eg it's cheaper to appear before them than to pay your car insurance. I'm going to have a go next year. Presumably all those who receive a paltry fine can afford to run a car and all the expenses that involves.

I see we now have Community Rehabilitation and Community Punishment instead of probation and Community Service. Can't wait for what is going to turn up next. After all if you don't attend either you only get a conditional discharge. Heaven help us all!

Barry Foster, Gilstead Lane, Gilstead.

SIR - Karl Dallas thinks mass immigration is no problem, since it counterbalances emigration from this country (Letters, October 17). That simply makes it worse, since it speeds up what the great majority do not want and have never wanted - the destruction of the western, Christian identity of this country.

As for the idea that we should accept this as some kind of punishment for "colonialist oppression", why should we accept the destruction of our whole culture and way of life in penance for the deeds of a tiny ruling elite, most of whom are dead in any case?

Strange that leftists and liberals who shrink at the principle of "an eye for an eye" when applied to terrorists and criminals are happy to apply it to a whole people.

Ian Sykes, Guernsey Road, Croftlands, Dewsbury.

SIR - Here are six ways to reduce traffic on the roads:

1. Issue a card to all people who pay car tax.

2. Allow these people to use the card on all public transport including trains without charge.

3. To cover the cost, charge extra car tax after establishing the estimated or confirmed costs.

4. Distribute the cost by bands based on car value, ultimately charging the millionaires with the enormously expensive cars an enormously expensive car tax.

5. Issue extra cards to car owners for the family members at an extra low cost per card.

6. Each card when used should be "swiped" as is already been done by credit cards and the transport company paid the benefit.

One of the obvious advantages of the above is the richer people won't get preferential advantage over the poorer, and the poorer won't be priced off the roads unfairly.

Having tolls on motorways or entry to town centres etc slows traffic up and gives the advantage to the rich.

L Dobson, Stonecroft, Bradford 2.

SIR - In answer to Mr Taylor's letter of October 19, please let me reassure him that entry to the National Museum of Photography, Film & Television's permanent galleries has always been and remains free. We do charge for film screenings in our three cinemas and for special exhibitions.

This allows us to mount important shows such as the Martin Parr retrospective which would otherwise be beyond our means.

I would also emphasise that everyone who qualifies for a concessionary rate for the Martin Parr show gets in for free.

Lesley Patrick, Head of Marketing NMPFT.

SIR - Re your story about the lesbian couple the Troughton-Webbs (T&A, October 19). This couple cannot have a child because, as everybody knows, they are both female. No species can reproduce in this way.

The Troughton-Webbs intend to bring a child into the world knowing that it will not have the balancing influence of a male parent and a quite unbalanced homosexual influence from its mothers.

While I know there are many children in single-parent families with absentee fathers, the authorities should not condone it. This poor child has not got a hope in Hell of living a normal life ("What is a normal life?" they will scream).

Joanne Lawson, Park Road, Heaton.

SIR - One of the quickest and easiest ways of easing congestion on Bradford's roads is to get rid of those idiotic "bendy buses" which take up twice as much room as any other vehicle on our roads.

Whoever thought them up should be put in the stocks in Centenary Square!

D Staincliffe, Duchy Avenue, Bradford 9.