PHILIP St L Morris’s unnecessarily verbose letter regarding a very minor incident which occurred at Charmouth’s small but delightful promenade is nothing more than a long-winded ‘storm in a teacup’ admission that he had his dog off the lead on Charmouth’s promenade, contrary to the regulations that require dogs on the promenade to be kept on a lead at this time of year.

He further states that he is a regular visitor to Charmouth, so even more reason why he should have known better and certainly not be surprised that he was both rightly and politely spoken to by someone in authority.

The signs are there for all to see, it’s just that he seemingly didn’t bother looking for them.

Furthermore, his tale of woe skirts around the fact that ALL dog owners should have a lead in their possession (at least) when walking their dog wherever they are, which by the writer’s own admission he did not.

And lastly, his comparisons to George Orwell’s 1984 is unnecessary page-filling, woe-is-me self-indulgence, further exaggerated by the comparison of this polite admonishment for a relatively minor matter (which be seemingly brought upon himself), to being in a Second World War prison camp, is an insult to those who truly experienced the deprivations of captivity all those years ago.

James Power

Old Road

Wimborne