Jonathan Sheppard (Letters, December 31) is right to say it is no wonder Brighton and Hove City Council has been given Private Eye's award for Philistines of the Year.

If one needed further evidence that Hove's reputation as "a distinguished resort" is being undermined by the council, one could instance the fact that, outside Woolworth's, permission has been given for a wagon which sells burgers and emits appalling fumes.

So much for sustainability and the ninelives campaign, which urged thrift and a healthy way of life rather than squandering money upon artery-clogging produce.

If so ill-ventilated an outlet occupied a permanent building, it would be closed down forthwith, and one can only wonder at the terrifying prospect of scalded flesh should there be an accident similar to the recent one at a nearby bus stop.

As one reflects upon the way in which such a grim thing has been allowed, it brings with it the thought that the conduct of council officers will be as much an issue as anything in the May elections.

-Christopher Hawtree, Westbourne Gardens, Hove