Sir, – I refer to your report about the telephone poles erected by BT outside Richmond (D&S Oct 7).

Many hundreds of people travel this route to admire the views, though you would scarcely credit what I say if you spent a day here.

They come at odd times, not in droves but in singles and pairs with days, weeks or even months in between.

Apart from your article it could be a year or longer before some of them realise that vandalism has taken place in this isolated stretch of moor road – the M25 it is not.

So, it costs to bury unsightly cables, and it is troublesome to string wires close to trees.

Profit is the God of the public utilities.

Another quality is their arrogant disregard of what many people would want if only they knew about it.

BT have behaved in a disgraceful manner. This is a narrow, twisting country road with crests and dips, not the sort of place you would happily stop the car to squint at some informative notice on a pole, which is what they counted on.

I hope Ashley Barker of Low Applegarth gets more support now you have given this disgrace a little publicity.

It would be nice if our mayor, a man with real admiration for the district, could give his backing to Mr Barker, and our MP ought to take a break from world affairs to spare a thought for a local matter of importance to the many regular visitors of his constituency.

Feldom Ranges have been used by the Ministry of Defence for decades, how have they previously communicated?

On the opposite side of the ranges lie the villages of Gayles and Kirby Hill which are already on the telecommunications highway. Why are any ugly poles at all suddenly vital?

I smell a rat, or maybe a field mouse.

GERARD WILD Conyers Close, Richmond.