Metro Letters, February 24: “We’d Have Enough Vegetables If We Stopped Greed”

Readers are upset about the shortage of fruit and vegetables in the supermarket.

This has led some of our contributors to suggest rationing on popular items like cucumbers and tomatoes.

Elsewhere, the debate over censorship of Roald Dahl books continues and it has also been suggested that the BBC should scrap the ‘puerile’ show The Apprentice now that it is in its 17th season.

Read on to see what else is getting people excited…

■ Shopper Lisa Fearns has been prevented from buying 100 pickles in a Lidl store as fruit and veg rationing hits the UK (Metro, Thu).

The personal trainer stocked her shopping cart so she could make detox drinks for her company. How greedy of her. The fact that the pickles were for her store makes it worse because if she had bought them wholesale they would have been cheaper. Surely wholesale is the right way? Ray, Romford

■ Every week I buy a cucumber, a lettuce and a pack of tomatoes for my 98-year-old mother for lunch. This week she only has to make do with tomatoes because the shelves at Tesco are empty. If everyone just bought their usual supply of fruit and veg, we could all have some. Jack, Essex

■ After being denied the 100 pickles, Lisa Fearns wrote to Facebook friends, ‘I don’t like her pickles anyway’. Is this just a case of sour grapes? Geoff Hall, Croydon

■ When will this country face the truth? The shortage of fruit and vegetables is mainly due to Brexit. In France, supermarkets don’t seem to be experiencing the same thing as we are. Peter Reynolds, Nottingham

■ Regarding the MetroTalk discussion of publishers removing references to gender and appearance in Roald Dahl’s children’s books, I am a senior and have been an avid reader all my life. My children and grandchildren grew up reading books by different authors, and we all grew to be law-abiding, non-racist people.

My concern goes out to all the little kids and teenagers who spend hours playing games full of violence and graphic details that don’t require imagination. Surely these books don’t have nearly the bad influence that these so-called games have? Linda, West Midlands

■ Following Aziz’s letter (MetroTalk, Tues) that the 20-mile limit is a lifesaver, wouldn’t it make sense to make speed limiters compulsory for all motor vehicles except those used by emergency services? Last but not least, saving human lives on motorways and federal highways could reduce the burden on rescue workers. Peter Vessey, Wolverhampton

■ While I agree that 20-mile zones are safer, I wonder if a petrol or diesel engine that runs an extra minute for every mile pollutes our environment less. Tim, Haywards Heath

■ Becky from Bristol (MetroTalk, Mi) says robotic waiters at the restaurant company I work for are being tested because of ‘the low hourly wage and my employer’s resistance to a pay rise’ and not because of Brexit.

No, Becky, the people of Britain don’t want these jobs. Hospitality isn’t this very low paying industry anymore. Companies are now offering rates above the national minimum wage, and on top of that, recent legislation – and legislation – means waiting employees can keep all their tips. And I’m concerned about the staff shortages everywhere, Becky, and that’s why I mentioned the shortage of NHS staff. Pedro, hammersmith

■ It’s not written in stone that every type of work must be done by hand, not by machine. It’s a question of economy. Andrew Turek, London

‘Right, we’ve seen enough – BBC should fire The Apprentice’

■ There comes a time when every game show has had its day, and The Apprentice certainly shows that. Listen up BBC and put Sir Alan Sugar’s TV show out of its childish misery. John Nightingale, Redbridge

Should we shelve these lazy gags?

■ I emailed my supermarket about the lack of vegetables on offer. They said they would know lettuce if they stocked more. I said I wanted a salad, not a sauce. Tom R, Sidcup

■ My son got a job at a swimming pool. So far, they’ve only hired him to clean the pool and maintain the diving board. They really threw him in at the deep end… Martin Lawrence, Croydon

■ I used to be very fond of farm machinery. Am I an ex-tractor fan? Jeremy, Darford

■ I worry about calendars. Your days are numbered. HG, Maidstone

And also…

■ I’m wary of getting involved in the MetroTalk buggy wars, but some parents treat buggies like battering rams. At an intersection where I live, there is a blind corner – you have to be careful at a red light because drivers are accelerating to run over it.

My heart melts when I see parents walking over buggy first when their traffic light isn’t green. I see buggies being pushed between cars in traffic. Only one party wins if it’s a buggy and a car. Joe, via email

■ Regarding the MetroTalk letters about dogs that need to “walk” before they can be walked, most can be trained to perform simple tasks like “sit” with a single command word. With the addition of an extra consonant, this could be modified to expand Fido’s repertoire to entertain friends and comfort the rest of us. Robert McNulty, Manchester

■ Much of England’s intelligent motorway network was hit by a two-hour software outage on Wednesday (Metro, Thu), prompting the roads to be closed. Not having hard shoulders on highways with such fast traffic is irresponsible. I saw a car break down in the fast lane. It’s scary trying to avoid it.

The same happens if someone breaks down on the slow lane with no hard shoulder. Those behind will hardly be able to avoid it, especially if the highway technology is defective. Paul, Elstree

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