I AM bemused by the protracted, and occasionally intense, activity round the bases of the trees in London Road North and cannot help but wonder how much this is all costing.

I AM bemused by the protracted, and occasionally intense, activity round the bases of the trees in London Road North and cannot help but wonder how much this is all costing.

The work seems to be complicated by the incorporation of up lighters in some of the grills.

As well as increasing the cost of the whole project, these up lighters will serve very little useful purpose; working against more than adequate street lighting, and make a mockery of Suffolk County Council highway's pledge to 'take light pollution seriously'.

What is it with the human race's obsession with lights?

We also see in London Road North retail outlets trying to out-do daylight on illuminating sections of pavement outside their entrances. Why?

Walking through the Britten Centre, late evening, it is apparent that a substantial amount of lighting is left on behind the closed market stall shutters. Again, why?

And the multi-storey car park there remains fully lit until almost midnight, well after it is closed and locked up. What is the need for that?

After decades of Government 'awareness' schemes, there still seems to be no sense of urgency to curb excessive use of energy, despite global warming being described as a greater threat than international terrorism.

For a few months now Waveney District Council has been setting a good example by more sensibly controlling the lighting at Battery Green multi storey car park. The Britten Centre next perhaps?

There is, apparently, a 'Making Suffolk the Greenest County' campaign, and even a 'Greenest County Delivery Partnership' set up, which will no doubt generate reams of wish lists on paper. It would be nice to see some positive evidence at street level.

DOUG HOFFMAN

Battery Green Road

Lowestoft