SIR – I happened to be one of the many unfortunate people who got caught up in the incident caused by Highways England on the M5 last Friday for over eight hours while trying to get to Birmingham for a conference and dinner event that I had been working on for months. 
I call upon those responsible to explain why 
a) there was NO warning whatsoever of what was happening on the M5 on any travel websites early in the morning when they must have known there was no way the motorway was going to reopen at 6am; 
b) why no information was put up on any of the overhead signs on the M5 other than “queue ahead caution” when it was much more than just a queue;
c) why they didn’t close off the slip roads to junctions 7 and 6 much earlier to stop other unfortunate people getting on the M5 and d) why the M5 did not reopen until almost 5pm just in time for the evening rush hour. 
I missed a conference, and so what, that was nothing compared to others who I really felt for because they missed crucial hospital appointments and operations, flights at Birmingham International Airport and those who will have their pay docked from work as they couldn’t get there or will have to take a day out of their holiday entitlement. Will Highways England compensate those poor people I wonder?
As for Frank Bird’s comments that we should have all been “better prepared”, Highways England gave us NO warning whatsoever about what was happening on the M5 until it was too late. Had I known I would never have got on the M5, and I’m sure that goes for many others too.
What happened last Friday was a total disgrace, and those responsible should be held to account.
LISA VENTURA
Worcester

We need to see what is going on in country
SIR, In reply to GB Dipper about not wanting thugs and criminals from other countries here. He said in his letter about a Slovakian immigrant who battered a man in his 80s. That’s not the first time it’s happened. I understand that in London young girls have been raped by immigrants who come to our country. A news article stating two Romanian cousins who burgled houses in Pershore. How much longer do we put up with these people? Now David Cameron has pledged 19,000 for Muslim women here to learn English. Surely if as they always tell us they were born here and are British citizens they should grow up speaking English. The taxpayer will foot the bill again. There’s also 50 Syrian families to be housed here in Worcester. The Government said they will have guaranteed school places, health services and benefits. When are the people of Britain going to say no more. Let’s stop all this now I think people should get out of their bubble they live in and see what is happening to our country.
MRS CAROLE ROBERTS
Worcester

Dysfunctional planning on our roads
SIR – This is a letter addressed to the Worcestershire County Council highways department...
“The final motivation for my writing this letter, which has been brewing for years, is your latest masterpiece, the line marking on the A449.
“Anyone with a smattering of intelligence can read the very clear sign and know there is a roundabout ahead.
Now I have started I will point out further dysfunctional realignments you and your team have injected into the roads in and around Worcester, starting with bollards situated in the middle of the A4104 on a curve near Ryall, Upton upon Severn, creating a very dangerous situation for heavy good vehicles, some of which are 21m long and 3m wide, with the tyres costing £1,600.00 each, they would have little chance of negotiating such an obstacle course, without damaging said tyres.
“For many years I travelled to Droitwich on the A4538 where some years ago you constructed a roundabout adjacent to the rugby ground, I would challenge anyone to you design engineers to drive an articulated vehicle of 13.5m trailer + the prime mover around said obstacle without going over curbs?
“The public marvel, at the things your department spend taxpayers money on, such as building new roads big and wide right up to a bottleneck that has been there for 30 years, when the simpletons that make up the greater public can see the problem why can’t you people see it, we wonder if there is any constructive thought or organisation of any type within your planning program?
FR COOK
Upton upon Severn

First city council tax rise for five years
SIR – Well, the “watermelons” (green on the outside and red on the inside), the Greens, are at it again (Worcester News, February 2 and February 5). They seem to want their cake and to eat it.
Remember Brighton and Hove when the controlling Green Party proposed a 5.9 per cent council tax rise: there was even a threat that Whitehall might have to take over their town hall. 
Now they are grumbling about a four per cent county council tax rise but note the city council is proposing a rise of only 1.94 per cent. This latter will be the first time in five years that the Conservative administration has raised this tax whilst maintaining a balanced budget. The Labour Party raised the city council tax as soon as they came to power for that one year (2013-14). 
DR DAVID TIBBUTT
Chairman, Worcester Conservative Association