I HOPE that the next letter you publish from Mr Roger Brewis will be an apology for the insulting and ranting letter of his that you published in your January 16 edition.

How dare he dismiss the misery of 25,000 former Woolworth workers as 'patchy', on a day when a further 40 workers in Lydney were laid off, and when the headline firms such as Barclays, Landrover, etc announced another 4,000 plus.

I myself was at a meeting where we were discussing the first compulsary redundancies in my company in 2009. More are to come regardless in the autumn. This recession is hitting hard. It may not be in the cosy red tinged world of Bells Place, Coleford, but not many of us work there.

This recession is real, it is hard and all of us who have to leave the Forest to go to work each day know it. I am working with colleagues who this time next week will be 'job seekers' and much luck they may have as the jobs they seek are not there.

One other thing – methinks that Mr Brewis is a narrow minded bigot. Otherwise why would he raise the old 'them' and 'us' flag, 'honest Foresters' and 'dodgy incomers'. Well my late father told me one thing – when a man tells you he's honest, count your fingers once you have shaken hands with him. – Ian Coghlan, Pillowell.