I AM on secondment from my company in Germany for six months and have been staying with friends at the university here in Birmingham.

They have taken me to visit many wonderful places including the beautiful city of Worcester and when I was there I happened to see a copy of your excellent newspaper.

Unlike the newspapers in Bavaria back home, your journal provides many stories of good cheer and does not concentrate on finding all the bad news events.

I was concerned to read the correspondence from my fellow countryman, Dieter Schroeder, who, so friends in Worcester tell me, has made a number of silly complaints about the city. Not everything in Germany is as wonderful as he suggests and there is much wrong with our public services.

Worcester is a very fine place and I look forward to making another visit before too long. My only complaint would be about the quality of the food served in the pub where we went for our lunch and where I had fish and chips.

The fish was very difficult to find amongst the many layers of batter and the chips were what friends tell me are described as soggy.

I did not let this spoil my visit though - but I will eat elsewhere next time.

MARTIN NEUBERGER,

Harborne, Birmingham.

I WAS very sorry to learn that A Piedgransen has been made to feel unwelcome in our city and do apologise (You Say, October 16)

There is no excuse for such behaviour, but I cannot help feeling there is a possible explanation.

It may well be that he has been mistaken for another nationality with a reputation for arrogance, demanding manner and offensive criticism.

Even so, I would have hoped my fellow citizens could have risen above this.

JOHN HINTON, Worcester.