ALARM bells started ringing after the fire at Didcot power station when I heard assurances that there was no danger of power cuts following the fire and shutdown of part of the power station.

Our energy policy is in total disarray with a cavalier approach to the wholesale shutting down and demolition of so-called dirty power stations. We should only have considered demolishing coal-fired power stations once we had enough nuclear or gas-fired power stations in place.

At present, we have two nuclear power stations shut down because of technical problems. They won’t be online until early 2015.

All this idiocy comes at the behest of our true government – the EU.

History is littered with incompetent governments, all of whom made decisions which beggared belief. The present government is carrying on this fine tradition.

Britain’s power reserves were on a knife-edge before the fire at Didcot. The devastation at this power station can only mean that there is no now even less power availability. Get your candles in – I have.

Philip Roe, Roman Avenue South, Stamford Bridge, York.