REGARDING the letter (August 16) on the two 80-year-old pensioners fined for not displaying their orange badge correctly.

What an absolute and utter disgrace. Who do these people think they are?

Have they not an ounce of compassion in their body?

I had a taste of this on Easter Bank Holiday. I went to Bolton town centre to shop, not knowing or even dreaming you had to pay to park on Bank Holidays.

On arriving under the arches, there were two cars parked and, noticing a ticket in one of them, I went to check on the machine which stated you had to pay on Bank Holidays.

I was 10p short so went as far as the arches to ask a lady for a 10p and, on turning round, saw a traffic warden walking round my car.

I shouted to him but he totally ignored me. As I approached him he had started to put a ticket on.

I explained what had happened and he said sorry and gave me the forms to appeal.

I appealed four times, without success, and was told 'they don't give time to get change'.

Well, what I would like to say to Bolton Council is that I for one would not entertain shopping in Bolton again on a Bank Holiday.

I will take my cash to Bury and shop there where parking is free on Bank Holidays and where they give you 12 minutes to get change and it is only 65p for three hours.

No wonder our town centre shops are so poor, these idiots are driving people out and robbing them of custom. People won't be dictated to when they can shop in much better areas and cheaper.

I would like to give Bolton Council a bit of advice -- get your act together.

Instead of paying traffic wardens treble time to work Bank Holidays, when there is absolutely no need for them to work with the few people that go to Bolton to shop, why don't they -- like most other councils -- let people park for free and I am quite sure the town centre businesses will benefit instead of them all closing down.

Mrs P McCabe

Junction Road West

Lostock