Adrian LLoyd-Edwards, former president of Dartmouth RFC, of Middledown, Stoke Fleming, writes: The decision of South Hams Council to use the sports pitches at Norton as a car park over the regatta period is as stupid as it is incomprehensible. Some years ago the rugby club's playing surface was so bad that a number of games had to be cancelled or postponed because of the poor drainage of the pitches, which had become unplayable because they were ankle-deep in mud for weeks on end during the season. We complained to the ­owners, South Hams Council, from which we hire the ground, and to its great credit extensive work was carried out in the close season: drainage pipes were laid down and then the pitches were relaid, all at a very high cost to the rate payer. The work was a total success and we have at Norton one of the best playing surfaces in Devon, whatever the weather, and it is a great credit to the club, the town and, most of all, to South Hams Council. Now the current managers at South Hams want to put all this good work at risk by using the pitches at Norton as a car park. This will almost certainly result in damage to the drainage pipes, the replacement of which will cost many ­thousands of pounds – and all to make a profit of £12,000. Rather than allow the farmer on whose land the cars are ­normally parked at that time to make a profit, the district ­council wants to take all the money for itself. It appears that these days the prime motive of our district council is to reduce cost at all costs. Its proposal is a most cynical way of making a fast buck from regatta visitors, while hoping that the cost of repairs will never happen. Should that be necessary, the cost of the repairs will certainly be more than £12,000 and will delay considerably the start of the new season. It will probably also mean that we have to hire an alternative pitch. We all know what Oscar Wilde, that well-known wing three-quarter from London Irish, said about cynics: they know the cost of everything and the value of nothing. That seems to fit our district council to a T.