Sir – “Private shops” were set up as anonymous boutiques about which children would ask few questions and get fewer helpful replies.

Unfortunately, some of these establishments are now displaying words like “toys” clearly visible to passers-by. If there are two words which very small children eagerly become proficient at reading, they are “ice-cream” and “toys”.

I wonder if local authorities can do anything to discourage these signs?

Roger Moreton, East Oxford