From Monica Conlon.
AFTER 30 years, I have returned home to Jersey, and what a beautiful island it still is – apart from St Helier.

Last Friday evening my husband and I walked into town. Well, where shall I start? Dirty, disgusting, overflowing rubbish from take-aways adorned all the squares and footpaths, thereas scaffolding around buildings, empty shops with hand-written signs saying ‘Closed for legal reasons’, people smoking in pub doorways flicking their fags into the street, loud music from clubs and bars, binge drinkers staggering around at 10 pm, half-naked children aged ten to 15 running around clutching bottles of vodka, swearing and spitting as they caused havoc.

Building sites everywhere, building ‘luxury apartments’ that Jersey people cannot afford to live in, but it doesn’t matter, because they are all crammed in squalid lodging houses. If I were a restaurant owner or a decent bar owner, I would be very worried about future business.

What are our politicians doing? Or are they just glad they don’t live in a lodging house next to a loud bar, or a filthy dirty take-away, or next to a building site that is allowed to continue building on a weekend?

Don’t bother investing any more money in tourism, we won’t need it! One look at St Helier from a tourist and they’ll be straight back on the one and only over-priced late-running ferry!
La Sente Cottage,
Rue de la Sente Maillard,
Grouville.