We need to go back to our docks to stop this motorway madness

The broader picture, if we go back a few years to the late 1950s when the first motorways were being planned, is that dockside facilities were first marginalised and then provided a bonanza for property developers.

Britain is an island surrounded by water which is a tremendous advantage over other countries.

Until it virtually ceased in the 1960s there was a countrywide network of ports serviced by small cargo vessels.

The vital test of these facilities occurred during WWII and there is no doubt that, apart from being vulnerable to enemy bombs and torpedoes, these coastal trade facilities made a tremendous contribution to the war efforts and ultimate victory.

I propose that an official study be made of coastal trade resources and facilities, "for we are an island race etc."

There is, I feel potential for much development in this area that has been undermined by privatisation.

Increased coastal trade would ease the pressure to expand major road networks, retain a pleasant environment in Sussex and remove the conflict situation at a stroke.

Malcolm Barrell

Billericay