In an Argus article (October 25) covering the loss of a fire engine from Hove Community Fire Station, a spokesperson said that if a resident’s home is on fire it will still send out the same number of firefighters as it did before the cut and it would be able to provide eight firefighters within eight minutes.

She then went on to say that if the four pump appliances available within Brighton and Hove could not cope, the service could call for fire engines from across East and West Sussex.

This statement of ‘eight in eight’ assumes that there is only ever one fire or incident at any one time.

It also assumes that appliances coming from across the county will be as effective as having the required number actually based within Brighton and Hove but that is impossible – they will be unable to get to the city within the stipulated eight minutes.

In the same edition of The Argus Green Councillor Ian Davey stated that: “People come to visit our city because of our award-winning restaurants, unique shops and special attractions – not because of the price of parking.”

Mr Davey has got his statement the wrong way round.

What everyone else knows he should have said is: “People no longer come to our city because of its award-winning restaurants, unique shops and special attractions but because of the price of parking”.

Eric Waters Ingleside Crescent Lancing