FURTHER to the article regarding our town (Chronicle,April 24), just ask any resident living in Hounslow about their opinion of the High Street and I guarantee 90 per cent would give it the big thumbs down, or descriptions that can not be printed.

In fact, I have never yet heard anyone say a good word about it.

From the bus garage right through to Argos is almost like a ghost town, with all those empty shops boarded up and plastered with adverts.

We seem to be inundated with estate agents, pound shops, and how many more greengrocer shops do we need, especially when they take over the pavement?

Don't get me wrong, there are still some very good shops, but sadly these are in the minority.

We have lost so many of our good stores, and even our M&S is now what they call an 'outlet shop', meaning it only sells discontinued items.

Years ago my wife used to to hate shopping there because we were so restricted for choice, and so we would take ourselves off to Richmond or Kingston.

When I used to work at the airport, dealing with the public, many times I was asked by passengers between flights or through cancellations to recommend a place where they could kill perhaps eight hours.

And what does Hounslow offer?

We have no cinemas, nor leisure centres, even the good old-fashioned English pub has disappeared.

There are plenty of takeaways and cafes, but what about a good restaurant? Also, the lack of toilet facilities in our town is something our council should be ashamed of.

Two decades ago we were told that Hounslow was to get a big multiplex cinema.

That died a death, and in Heston we are still waiting for the new swimming complex to be built, but each time it gets put on the back burner.

I grew up where I had the choice of seven cinemas, five of which were between the closed down Safeways and the garage, and a High Street where you could buy anything.

And to think that our town is the nearest to Heathrow.

If only the council planners had the foresight to see what they had within their grasp, we could have had a Hounslow to be proud of.

BRIAN CLARK Via email.