IT is not only York businesses that are risking court action over failure to comply with the Disability Discrimination Act (Firms warned on Disability, August 6).

A large number of Selby businesses are also at fault.

Independence and dignity are particularly important to the disabled. The disabled people I know, including my wife, find being able to shop in a hassle-free environment helps restore these two qualities that the rest of us take for granted.

It is not only shops, a lot of the pubs in Selby have poor disabled access.

The streets present their own challenges with rustic pavements, cobbles or open gullies, all of which can cause problems for the partially sighted, wheelchair users and people who are unsteady on their feet.

Businesses are, in my opinion, being short sighted in not only risking court action but also alienating a section of the community who, on government figures, have nationally a combined spending power of over £80 billion.

There is also the adverse publicity which will go with any court action.

T C F Smith,

Flaxley Road, Selby.

Updated: 10:55 Thursday, August 11, 2005