ON these hot and muggy evenings we all like to have all our windows and doors open to alleviate the build up of heat in our homes.

Unfortunately this is becoming increasingly difficult due to inconsiderate people who insist on having bonfires at night.

Apart from the smell and obvious pollution, they should try living with a wife and two-year-old daughter who are both chronic asthmatics and need to take daily medication.

To watch my family suffer and witness my two-year-old daughter struggle to breathe, cough and wheeze breaks my heart, but then on top of that, due to bonfires being lit I have to shut all windows and doors in the hope I won't have to admit them to hospital again because their asthma has been aggravated.

We feel as though we are prisoners in our home at times.

Take a straw and use this as your only form of taking in air.

Eventually the amount of air you inhale through the straw will not be enough to support you.

Struggling for air you will begin to feel as though you are suffocating. Then take one well lit bonfire and add this to the equation. This will allow you to experience on a small scale the distress and feelings of an asthmatic the only difference is, you can take the straw out.

MR A M HOWARD
West Wickham