SIR – For many years now I have felt unable to use the ATM cashpoint machines outside our banks and building societies, it’s just not safe. Numerous incidents of fraudulent activity involving cashpoints have been reported locally (Worcester News, February 19).

According to police figures, 92 per cent of cashpoint crimes in Britain are committed by criminals from former Eastern bloc countries, we shouldn’t be at all surprised that the latest incident involved two Romanian fraudsters.

These days I prefer to go inside my building society to make cash withdrawals where I feel that any tampering of the machines would be more difficult for the criminal to make; ie,I think someone would hopefully see them doing it and everything and everyone would be filmed on CCTV.

There is a down-side to this in that I can only make a transaction during building society opening hours or visit a local supermarket when buying groceries to obtain cash limited to a maximum of £50.

What I really want is peace of mind that all transactions between me and my building society have been made safely.

To some extent Ifeel that the individual freedoms that I once had have been affected by this sort of criminal activity – I can’t get my money as and when I want to.

So come January 2014 when yet more Bulgarians and Romanians are allowed to come into the UK do I have have any reason to feel safe? I don’t think so.

MARY JONES

Worcester