I AM sorry, but I have to reply to Les Walton s letter about too much talk over the Pits , if anything his comments have fanned the flames. Firstly, I do not know how he can state I am appalled by the level of debate in your paper regarding Roswell Pits

I AM sorry, but I have to reply to Les Walton's letter about 'too much talk over the Pits', if anything his comments have fanned the flames.

Firstly, I do not know how he can state "I am appalled by the level of debate in your paper regarding Roswell Pits". How can he be appalled? The paper reflects news topics about Ely and the surrounding area, and Roswell pits is an area of Ely that is enjoyed by many residents of Ely.

Les Walton also states: "Strangely enough, on none of my visits did I see a bittern, otter or indeed another human being."

Mr Walton does state that he "decided to have a look in case it was a worthwhile investment. As I am not a person to make snap decisions I looked on three separate occasions".

Can I suggest that on these occasions he was not really looking for wildlife, but in fact he was looking from a business point of view, ie: how he could make a profit from purchasing the Pits.

Wildlife watching is not hard it just needs a bit of patience.

The chances of seeing an otter are going to be at night or early morning. The chances of seeing a bittern? Early morning or a fleeting glance over the reedbed's but you are more likely to hear one than see one and I actually saw one early one morning at Roswell Pits.

The otter and bittern are so rare because of the lack of suitable habitat.

Well ,what can I say about seeing another human being? I can only say that maybe Mr Walton visited the pits when most people were at work and children at school.

Last week we had our Wildlife Watch group at Pocket Park and Roswell Pits, and 13 children and as many parents enjoyed sightings of butterflies, dragonflies, insects, birds and flowers. They did not just appear for the day, they are always there and we saw other people!

Mr Walton also asks "Where were the objectors when the property was advertised?",

How many people knew they were advertised? And speaking to people I work with and who live in Ely not many knew they were up for sale and thought East Cambridgeshire District Council already owned them.

Les Walton finishes his letter by saying "Can we now please talk about something more important"?

I can only say this that the wildlife, preservation of habitat and conservation for future generations is more important than profit for a majority of people, many more than Mr Walton realises.

CLIVE BAKER

Norfolk Road

Ely