WITH reference to the article about renewed fears over the tannery site at Westbury Leigh (Wiltshire Times, November 17).

The change in weather patterns is worrying and has caused anthrax outbreaks in other parts of the world. There were incidents on the Danube delta this summer after a drought followed the wettest spring on record, and various incidents in the USA and Canada. It is only a matter of time before we have an incident in the Westbury Leigh area, but it is unlikely to happen at this time of year. A cycle of flooding and drought where there are several weeks of warm weather may create the conditions.

After dialogue with experts in the USA there appears to be one golden rule with anthrax sites: leave well alone do not disturb.

In west Wiltshire I fear there will have to be, as always, human fatalities, before commercial pressures are constrained. We build houses near the site, we give planning for a milk factory on a field where cattle were burnt after getting anthrax, and now we are all expected to rejoice that a deal has been arranged that allows us to have playing fields on the water meadow directly downstream from the main source of infection!

JULIA UNDERWOOD (Vice Chair UPRAWW),

Little Fairwood Farm,

Dilton Marsh.