SIR - We have just returned from three weeks travelling in Europe where even small towns - and not only Paris - enjoy a relaxed and tasteful cafe culture. We have experienced, at first hand, the pleasure of enjoying a wide choice of drinks (alcoholic or not), or a delicious cake, a savoury snack, or a wonderfully imaginative ice cream, served always by friendly waiters.

We have sat in shady squares, tree-lined avenues, bustling streets, and by cooling fountains, as we watched the world go by. Perhaps the closest approximation to the cafe culture in Worcester is provided by the Quay Restaurant - although, sadly, no glass of wine without a meal even here - but the pleasure is spoiled by those who clearly assume that the water fountain outside the cafe has been created solely as a paddling pool for children.

We sat by identical fountain areas abroad which were respected as cooling features to gaze at and and enjoy - even with temperatures of 38 degrees - and only saw two very young children dipping their feet into the jets. But here we have shouting, squealing, and constant running about. We also see old kids on bikes cycling through the jets and covering them with their wheels to stop the water flow. Rather than making the fountains `safe for kiddies to play,' Worcester city councillors should make sure that we all use this area in a more adult and sophisticated - continental - way.

GAIL AND MICHAEL

WILSON,

Worcester.