OUR PROTESTS OVER HUT SET TO CONTINUE

This letter appears on today's Leicester Mercury:

Our protests over hut set to continue

I write in reply to your article in the Leicester Mercury "Protests staged over faith group plan for building".

Your first paragraph informs your readers of late-night protests. This is not true.

The latest time we have protested would have been in the region of 9pm, as I'm sure the videos the police took of us would bear out.

Other protests were much earlier. Also, another point that's missing from your article is the fact we had a meeting with the council on July 23, in our community centre, only for them to call it off on the grounds of health and safety, because more than 200 people attended, and the centre only holds 120.

Yet, every time I've attended a protest, there are well over 120 worshippers in the centre, with 40 to 50 cars completely filling the car park.

This was mentioned to a police officer, to which he replied, and I quote, "I'm not interested in health and safety, that's the council's problem".

Mohammed Lockhat, the prayer group's Imam, says there should be no concerns about traffic if they acquire the Scout hut for prayer rooms, as most of the people would walk there because they live locally.

That being the case, then why is the community car park overflowing with cars when they worship?

This "community" Scout hut is on a main bus route (classed as an A1 road, due to it's deeper foundations) and surrounded mainly by bungalows for the elderly. None of these people were consulted or asked their views and concerns regarding the prayer rooms.

The council has not followed due process and should be made accountable for the cost of policing these protests, which I am sure is costing us taxpayers an enormous amount of money.

It is only going to cost more, because I can assure you the people of this community will keep protesting until the council make the Scout hut available to the whole of the community.

Patrick McShane, Leicester