LETTER, by Peter Kay, Park Road, Wivenhoe

Now that M&S are ‘thanking’ the large percentage of their longstanding High Street customers who didn’t arrive by car by telling them where they can go, it might be helpful to explain how easy it is to get there, which M&S seem uninterested in advising themselves.

The easiest option is to cycle, five miles each way from NE and SE Colchester.

Or there are bus stops by the Princess Charlotte entrance to Stane Park. These were until recently served by four or five buses an hour, now improved to only two per hour in shopping hours. If they turn up.

Option two is to use the slower S2 (alias 65), but that terminates at the Sainsbury’s layby, from which you need to run across Essex County Council’s newlywidened Western Bypass.

Option three is the Monday to Friday ‘senior citizen shopping hours only’ hourly bus No 4 from Greenstead and Harwich Road, which will get you there in only twice the time it takes to reach the town centre.

It also serves Maldon Road/Prettygate. But it too terminates at the Sainsburys layby, so no slow runners.

Don’t forget, especially if you live near North/Town/Wivenhoe stations, there is another shopping centre, with all your favourite stores in one place which you can get to faster by public transport than by car. It is called Chelmsford.