SIR - When people say to me "Bradford's not what it used to be", they're right - and what's more it never will be.

We must be the only city of this size with only one department store. We can certainly build offices and leave them empty. We are even trying to get rid of offices in Little Germany where now we want to make hotels and flats.

But who wants to live in a town or even stay in one that looks like it's a doom town?

Please don't talk to me about parking. Outside my florist's shop are double yellow lines so the customers at the shop next door just park on the pavement outside my shop window.

After several complaints to Dudley Hill police, nothing has been done. I was told "Get in touch with the Highways Department." I did, only to be told "This is police business."

Where do any of us stand if the police cannot or will not do anything?

The only solution is get a new Council, one that will do something about the loss of our city. We all pay council tax, but for what?

Leslie Thorp, Killinghall Road, Bradford.

SIR - There must be something sadly wrong with our justice system when a person is fined £50 for being 15 minutes over the parking limit on a retail car park, and yet a person found guilty of drink-driving, no insurance, no test and no driving licence is fined a total of £110 (and there were nine people found guilty of the same driving offences in the T&A Court File of Thursday, January 4).

I thought the powers-that-be were going to send a strong message to people who drink and drive, never mind driving with no insurance, no test certificate, no licence, but it seems the message is "Don't park illegally or you'll get clobbered."

Oh, and don't forget to pay your TV licence or you'll get a £300 fine.

E Redman, Strawberry Fields, Keighley.SIR - I just want to add to the "Top Of The Class" report on Mr Wood of Bingley Grammar School.

I am a student in Mr Wood's English class and I think he's great. English has never been more interesting, especially drama.

But I think every other teacher deserves praise, too. They are all brilliant and make life at school very happy. There's a great atmosphere.

Charlotte Hobson, Coles Way, Riddlesden.SIR - The people of Thornton have every reason to feel disgruntled and betrayed by the closure of their swimming baths.

These have been a major community facility for many years now. Both young and old from the surrounding area have benefited from its service. School children especially have used it from time immemorial.

The disintegration of the facilities of any community will have obvious repercussions, not least in the resentment regarding "post-code" allotment of funds to other supposedly "deprived" areas.

If this policy is continued, Thornton itself will become a "deprived area", with possible consequences, such as vandalism.

I would beseech Bradford Council to have second thoughts, and to act wisely in respect of Thornton Baths. The people of Thornton are in the main law-abiding, and pay their council taxes, and are therefore entitled to more consideration.

There is far more at stake in this matter than mere financial issues.

Pamela B McCallum, Thornton Road, Thornton.

SIR - Taking snaps of dog owners who allow their pets to foul footpaths is something new (T&A, January 9). Perhaps the idea should be extended. In the Cullingworth-Wilsden area we now have more than our fair share of horses on the roads and footpaths with the resultant droppings.

Doesn't anyone grow rhubarb these days? At one time when the milkman and coalman, with their horse-drawn carts, were in the area people with buckets, rakes and shovels would almost have a race to scrape up the droppings to put on their rhubarb (no jokes about custard, please!)

But in Cullingworth there is a far worse problem. There is an ever-growing pile of rubbish towering over the village. And in there lies a far greater danger than dog excrement.

Among the refuse being tipped are thousands (even millions?) of disposable nappies which scientists now tell us will take up to 200 years to decompose. Now there's a photo to take with a disposable camera!

Peter A Rushforth, Sutton Drive, Cullingworth.SIR - Current concerns over the possible loss of more community officers around Bradford (T&A, January 9 & 10) should not come as a surprise, given that we have seen the total number of all police officers in our area fall by 160 since just March, 1999.

Cuts made in the number of police come in the face of a significant increase in many types of crime. The latest Home Office figures show that the number of incidents of violence against the person in Bradford has increased from 13.5 offences per 1,000 of population in 1999 to 32.4 offences per 1,000 today. On the same count, burglaries are up a massive 78 per cent to 15.9 offences per 1,000 residents; car crime has almost doubled to 59.2 offences per 1,000 population.

The rates at which crimes are being solved by our police range from ten per cent for car crime to 42 per cent for burglary.

With more crimes of a serious or antisocial nature taking place in our city, it is time politicians showed some determination to protect the public. But unless the Government puts a halt to the declining numbers of our police officers, we may not get the chance.

Graeme Tennyson, Conservative Prospective Parliamentary Candidate for Bradford South, Otley Road, Shipley.