SIR - My wife and I are firm Bronte fans, who greatly anticipated visiting the Bronte home in Haworth in May, 2012.

Our visit was fine, until we returned to the parking lot for our car. The car was parked slightly over a vague line in the nearly-empty lot.

I found an iron clamp on one wheel, and a threatening sort of man who demanded £90 as ransom for my rental car.

I understand that a law will go into effect this year to prevent such practices. I also understand that this depredation has been a fixture in Haworth for decades.

My question is this: How could the upstanding citizens of Haworth countenance such behaviour in their community for so long? Why did they watch it happen? Is it that people in Haworth shrug and say, “what can anybody do”?

Although I would like to say that I have fond memories of Haworth, that would not be true. I remember the trial without charges, the judgment, and the extortionate penalty assessed without due process.

How sad for unsuspecting tourists to leave this village with such memories about what should have been a charming visit!

Professor Dwain L Eckberg, Afton, Virginia, USA