IN Load Street, Bewdley, and the immediate area, almost any day of the week, there are major and continuous illegal abuses of the public highways, regardless of the various traffic regulations in force and directly because of wonderfully convenient cash machines (ATMs).

Illegal parking is rife on the pavement, driving pedestrians into the road.

Restrictions are ignored around the church, by the war memorial and in the entrance to Load Street car park.

Particularly badly abused are the disabled parking areas outside the museum.

People particularly inconvenienced include the disabled, the elderly, people with young children - often with pushchairs, in fact anyone who has to negotiate the narrow centre of Bewdley especially when these machines are very busy.

There was a time when banks conducted business with their customers in suitable premises.

Now they conduct a key part of their business in Bewdley on the street.

We know why they do it - profit improvement through lower costs, fewer premises, fewer staff.

In other business situations in Bewdley ATMs are almost all conducted off the street inside premises - shops, offices, pubs etc.

Aside from the impact of ATMs, current transport economics is now completing the strangulation of the town by delivering relatively small loads in enormous trucks at any and all times of the day.

What can we do about it?

As we all know, Bewdley is an important historical small riverside town, formerly a major inland port, attracting many visitors over many years and quite rightly so.

It has many buildings listed for their protection, and is archaeologically overviewed and scrutinised by Worcestershire County Council, but it is being strangled by 21st century business practices all aimed at profit improvement.

The physical infrastructure of Bewdley cannot be materially changed, but business practices probably can.

FRANK BAILLIE

Health Concern councillor

Bewdley Town Council

Telford Drive

Bewdley