Illegal traders

6:02pm Wednesday 14th November 2001

I take great exception to a number of letters printed in Times Letters (Show support for flower sellers' and 'A fine reward', Times Letters, November 8) regarding illegal flower sellers operating on public footpaths and carriageways in Barnet.

Two readers, Mr Chong and Mr Bradley, used phrases such as 'hard working' to describe these illegal traders, and implied that their activities were 'harmless'.

Well, I have a few questions to ask these gentlemen. Firstly, are these people claiming benefits? Or in the case of the female traders, are they being claimed for? Can they provide evidence of tax and national insurance contributions?

Benefit fraud is costing the working taxpayer billions of pounds and the sleazy, illegal 'black economy' cannot be considered 'harmless' by any stretch of the imagination.

And lastly, by whose standard can leaning against a traffic bollard waiting for money to drop into your hands be considered 'hard working'?

James Guinan

Bittacy Hill, Mill Hill

Editor's Choice