WITH regards to prison closures and DEFRA redundancies, official bodies are past masters at wasting taxpayers’ money.

Witness the imminent closure of Askham Richard with its recently refurbished mother-and-baby unit, which cost many thousands of pounds, and the closure of Northallerton Prison, also recently refurbished to a reported high standard.

Now to DEFRA where, according to previous reports in The Press, everything was thrown out into skips and replaced with plush carpets, furniture, etc – and yet staff are to be made redundant. Will the premises end up as apartments eventually for super houses – or even more student flats?

Northallerton Prison is especially pertinent to me as I virtually passed it every day as Northallerton was my home town for 32 years. As small children going to school, it was a formidable place – I recall its chequered history. Wardens’ houses were built adjacent to our farm and the tenants later became my egg round buyers. Memories!

Mrs PZ Frankland, Lodge Farm, Hull Road, Dunnington, York.