To the Letters Editor,

In 2022, I started a letter to the Bridgwater Mercury stating that when a country is at war, damage to a building is to be expected, but not in peace.

I continued listing the shop and business windows which had been damaged in Bridgwater.

I have now started a new list.

Over the last few months, a supermarket, two small independent shops, and a nationally known pharmacy have been attacked, as well as an empty building.

Two of the town's surgeries have had windows shattered.

An entrepreneur planning to open a restaurant in Bridgwater has had two large windows attacked.

The bill for this particular vandalism will not be confined to the hundreds of pounds.

The cost to these Bridgwater businesses runs into thousands.

The owners of these vandalised windows have three options.

They can pay out of their profits to repair the damage, claim under their insurance, which means also a claim on their time and the sure knowledge that their premiums will go up.

Or they can leave the damaged windows in situ; this does not look good for the town.

The authorities, including the town council, need to be reminded (if they did not know already) that businesses, whether small independents or multinationals, earn the money which the public sector spends, so often in a foolish manner.

Yours truly,

VC Gardner (Mrs.)