Sir – I am rarely motivated to write to newspapers, but your front-page article on the projected losses for Oxford car parks (September 2) has astonished and angered me in equal measures.

One of the most disturbing issues is that those responsible for setting car park charges failed to understand that setting such high prices was eventually going to drive people away.

If they need an example (and it appears that they do!) they should look at the Channel Tunnel (now Eurotunnel) which for years remained uncompetitive until someone saw the light and reduced the prices dramatically with a resultant large increase in volumes and associated revenue.

To add insult to injury, the Westgate multi-storey car park must be one of the worst in any major city with its narrow entries, almost non-existent and confusing signage, poor lighting and generally dirty, tatty and smelly stairwells.

As the major car park for a city which is supposedly at the forefront of tourism in this country it is nothing short of a disgrace and presents an extremely poor first image for our foreign visitors, let alone from the rest of the UK. Having been fortunate enough to visit many European cities over the past few years, I can quite categorically say that the Westgate is by far and away the worst that I have seen and certainly the one in which I feel least secure.

Colin Revell, Aston, nr Bampton