Your coverage of the circumstances involved in the recent fire in this area ("Arson inquiry after offices inferno", October 15), raised serious concerns.

In addition to complaints made by local residents, our MP David Lepper has made repeated representations to the police about drug dealing in the area and Councillor Simon Burgess has also taken up our concerns with council officers.

Sadly all these efforts have been ineffective.

Excuses made by police and council officers for their inaction have been so fatuous that one is forced to conclude there is a hidden agenda here, the nature of which we can only guess.

While recognising that the police cannot be expected to rid Brighton of drug dealing entirely, we must question why they are so blatantly indifferent to the hazards for local residents when dealers squat in empty properties.

This resulted in a hugely expensive fire-fighting operation which should have been avoidable.

So, the police cannot investigate premises "unless they are certain criminal activities are taking place". Pull the other one!

Much routine police work involves investigating premises where they merely suspect criminal activities are taking place.

So, council officials will not board up premises "for fear of imprisoning people".

But what is to stop them from inviting the police to search suspect premises first and, if incriminating evidence is found, to remove all the squatters and then board the place up?

Perhaps the police actually prefer the drug dealers off the streets so they are "out of sight, out of mind"? It certainly looks that way.

While empty properties in this city continue to be used in a similar way, especially during the winter, there will be other fires and even fatalities.

It is time all three of the city's MPs, along with the council leader (in whose ward this fire took place) and the chief executive took concerted action.

-Rosemary Collins, Brighton