Letter: Holiday plan

Public, bank and local holidays are an anachronism nowadays, causing widespread traffic congestion and accidents in England and difficulties for working parents with jobs and schools in different areas in Scotland.

The UK-wide solution to their varying dates (Letters, 30 September) is to abolish those from February to November, and move three of them to late December to bridge the usual gap before New Year's Day. The remainder would be added on to annual vacation entitlements. My own company implemented this successfully years ago.

A more radical (and probably deemed kill-joy) solution would be to celebrate Christmas, as a religious holy day, on the last Sunday of the year. The national shut-down could therefore last one week instead of two, no doubt benefiting some marriages, while allowing those wanting a two-week break to take the extra days as annual vacation.

John Birkett

Horseleys Park

St Andrews