HOW heartily I agree with Bill Kovacs whose letter you published on June 12.

I was recently walking down the steep, narrow, unmade-up lane (the Purlieu) that runs past our house, when I turned my head just in time to see a couple of cyclists hurtling down the hill behind me and managed to step aside.

If they had been obliged to brake suddenly or swerve on the rough, stony surface the result could have been nasty.

I caught up with the lads at the bottom of the lane where they had paused for a rest.

"Don't you have bells on your bikes to warn people you're coming?" I enquired rather crossly.

Needless to say the answer was, 'No'. In fact, I doubt they'd ever heard of one! Perhaps our macho mountain bikers consider a bell too sissy?

Even so I consider a law should be passed making bicycle bells compulsory and that it should be an offence not to be equipped with one.

Mariegold Ward

Upper Colwall