Letter: Cold facts

I WOULD like to congratulate Joan McAlpine on an intelligent article (Perspective, 8 December), which dares to analyse the complexities involved in winter weather and our lack of ability to cope with it.

The BBC has cut forecasts down, which leaves forecasters breathless trying to cover the whole of the UK in three minutes. If there is an extension of the news when there are serious news items, why can't there be an extension of the weather forecast when there are severe weather warnings? Our weather patterns are global, but the weather forecasts need to be local.

I am also pleased Ms McAlpine mentions the uselessness of salt against snow or ice in very low temperatures, a fact well known to my Russian-born mother, who could not believe that we advocated the use of it when it was banned in Russia and Latvia as being too dangerous.

MARINA DONALD

Tantallon Place

Edinburgh