TWO readers touched upon different aspects of the current veil debate (LT, October 26).

Daniel Harris asked if the rules had changed and the answer is yes. I have lived in Blackburn nearly 40 years and until the last few years a black-clad veiled woman was a rarity.

Unlike Lillian Pleydell, I can fully understand Jack Straw's problem. There may be very few veils in Nelson, but there are a great many in Blackburn and the numbers are steadily increasing.

It appears that the Muslim community is building a barrier to interaction and cohesion amongst the residents of this town.

I join Lillian in wishing that two cultures might flourish in perfect amity but cannot see how this is possible when one side is pursuing this extreme and divisive course.

Finally, the security angle has puzzled me for two or three years, why are veiled (masked) women allowed in banks and shops when masked men would not be. Even crash helmets have to be removed.

COUNCILLOR BRIAN GORDON, Meadowhead Ward, Blackburn.