Further to John Leer's excellent letter on Brett's application to extract minerals in North Stanwell (Villager, February 10) it has to be said that they and Morris have been playing the system for far too long.

The people of the area are rightly fed up with operators able to do business indefinitely even when their applications are repeatedly turned down.

All Stanwellians want to resist the industrialisation of our green belt. To do this, however, we need to challenge Government guidelines that allow companies to go on and on appealing and applying and so gain the right to go on digging.

As campaigners we need to pressure Whitehall in order to change Government guidelines so that a statute of limitations is introduced on Green Belt sites wanted for gravel.

For starters I would propose a three bites at the cherry rule.

This would mean that after three applications and/or appeals have been rejected that is the end of the matter for at least 10 to 15 years.

In this way we could enjoy our local villages without having to fight continually against more and more gravel extraction.

p As a practising teacher I would endorse the comments made in the recent Unicef report on British children.

Those of us who work with youngsters have noticed in recent years a plummeting in standards of behaviour and self regard.

This clearly relates to the changing nature of, or lack of, family life.

Poverty may well be part of the problem. However, the key to fundamental change is surely to be found in improving the quality of our nation's homes. Until that is done it is likely the problems will continue.

ANDREW MCLUSKEY Diamedes Avenue Stanwell Staines