Emma Clayton’s memories of the Yorkshire Ripper (Growing up in the Ripper years, November 19) revived my own recollections.

A secret, massive police surveillance operation was undertaken. I was a salesman, and at one monthly regional sales meeting, the Bradford rep told us he had been stopped by the police that morning. “Why have you been driving down this road (a street at the top end of Lister Park ) each of the last eight Friday mornings between 10.00am and 10.30?” was the gist of the question.

Explaining that he had a weekly sales call in the area, he had the contents of his car boot searched. Our rep had never noticed a thing on the previous seven Fridays.

Not many years later, during the police search for killer Barry Prudom, I was stopped in Sledmere by armed police and had my boot searched. Fortunately it was the only time I have been near a loaded firearm.

Geoff Robb, Hunters Close, Dunnington