I READ with interest the article about Jason Putt trying to pay his parking fine with £85 worth of pennies (EA, May 21).

This strange and archaic law preventing payment in copper also extends to silver and even to 20p and 50p coins how ridiculous!

I am co-ordinator of Gynae C, a support group and national helpline for women with gynaecological cancer, and we are often out fundraising. Would we turn down £1 worth of copper? Whether it was 1p, £1, £10 or £100, we would gladly take it as a donation. After all, our motto is: Be it a penny or be it a pound, every donation helps us stay around!

Maybe smaller businesses and charitable organisations are not in a position to be as picky as others, but I always thought that, whatever the denomination, our coinage was legal tender. If it is true that many shops will not take these coins in certain quantities, then maybe they don't deserve our custom!

I can see that it wouldn't be practical for shops, the courts etc to accept large quantities of coins on a regular basis, but if they had accepted it on this occasion would it really have caused that much of a problem?

Still, all of you people who have more coins in your purse, bag, pocket etc that you will "legally" not be able to spend, seek out the charitable organisations who will gladly receive them or search for that local shop that will probably be glad to welcome you as a customer.

HELEN JACKSON

Bolingbroke Road

Moredon

Swindon