Horrified by move - where will it end?

LETTER - I was horrified to read of the police roadside checks near Nesscliffe which were accompanied by council officials checking for benefit defrauders.

I realise that benefit fraud is a great evil but this surely is not the way to find it. If the police do a "stop and search" they have to submit paperwork and, presumably, justification. That council officials can look over the police shoulder is evil in intent.

What might come next? We could have librarians checking for overdue library books, perhaps. We might certainly find ourselves having to prove to the Child Support Agency that we don't have any unsupported children.

If one happened to have some rubbish in the car, might we be required to say where we're taking it, probably have some official confirmation that it was disposed of correctly?

The police state is closing in on us more each day, as witnessed in the Star's headline about identity cards. Only for foreigners, of course. Well yes, and airport personnel. Then soon it'll be children so that we shall know who they are when they become students.

Meanwhile, it'd be worthwhile to issue them in lieu of bus passes. The EU government wants them to be used with passports.

Then before we know where we are we shall see "samples" of vehicles passing Nesscliffe being checked "just to see if you're carrying your identity card, sir" and "by the way, don't you think you're a bit overweight".

"What can I smell? I hope you've not been smoking in your car?"

It'll come, sooner rather than later, and none of us sheep can be bothered to do anything about it.

A J Astley, Ellesmere