ROBIN DADSON, of 42 Churchfields, Dartmouth, writes:

Well, silly me for failing to appreciate that many of the potential residents who could occupy the proposed 400 new houses to be built by Millwood Homes will simply commute from Dartmouth to their places of employment outside of this town – a fact identified by Mr Mark Thompson in his letter published in your edition dated February 2.

Perhaps Mr Thompson would now like to enlighten us as to the exact locations where such employment may easily be found.

It is my understanding that there is a severe unemployment problem throughout the Westcountry which affects not only rural areas and smaller towns such as Dartmouth, but is also felt in more populous districts such as Torbay.

One may assume that, if my information is correct, there would be plenty of local candidates seeking to fill any positions that may become available just about anywhere.

Indeed, quite recently I was listening to a local radio station which was receiving telephone calls from people diligently seeking work, some of whom had been so doing for months.

Many reported that they had found that most of the vacancies that are advertised across this area attract dozens of applicants from all walks of life, a percentage of whom can subsequently be rejected as being over qualified by would-be employers.

I have no idea what the current job situation is in cities such as Plymouth or Exeter but, should they have situations available, both of these places are some 30/40 miles distant assuming that you have a car in which to commute.

Agreed both Plymouth and Torbay can be reached by bus but the timetables are hardly frequent nor is the duration of the journey exactly fast. Train services? Well yes, if you first get yourself to Totnes or Paignton!

Even if the above facts are taken as irrelevant, what of the cost of commuting? The price of both petrol and diesel seems to increase on a weekly basis for those lucky enough to have use of a car, and bus fares can hardly be called economic.

I imagine that the cost of a weekly commute to both of the above mentioned cities would be around £70-£80 in fuel alone, to which must be added any parking fees.

We do not live in the Home Counties, where it is quite common place for people to travel 50 miles or more to get to and from work by taking advantage of the far denser public transport systems, albeit at a considerable expense.

We live in the far more rural Westcountry which, although delightful, simply does not have commuter-friendly transport services.