Sir - As a longstanding resident of Oxford, I have watched with horror as the High Street has been increasingly vandalised with ugly street furniture.

Whether or not you are an academic, and I am not, this glorious and historic thoroughfare is a showcase for the antiquity of this renowned city, to be appreciated both locally and on the world stage.

There will always be plenty of smart new ideas for visually distracting street clutter: boxes, poles, signs, lights, more bus shelters and advertising.

But the beauty of High Street is worth preserving, like a giant work of art, and should always come first.

Susan Traynor, Oxford