ON Wednesday, September 20, nations of the world began to sign a United Nations treaty banning the development, transference, deployment and use of nuclear weapons.

This was a momentous event, good news for us all. It is seen as a beginning of a process, based in law, of changing the deeply engrained attitudes to nuclear weapons; making them unacceptable.

Yet from government and the media there is an ominous silence.

In replies to letters from government, we are told that “we are absolutely aware of the potential, catastrophic humanitarian consequences of nuclear weapons”, and that “they would only consider using nuclear weapons in extreme circumstances” and “the UK is committed to creating the conditions for a world without nuclear weapons”. So why oh why cannot it join the rest of the world in this momentous initiative?

Why oh why are there no interviews and debate within the BBC and mainstream media? The major humanitarian agencies which have to cope with the aftermath of war all say we could not cope in the event of any use of nuclear weapons. In whom do we put our trust?

SYLVIA BOYES Tonson Court Keighley