Letter: Open-minded Scots

Sir: English and Welsh MPs may care to consider how well Sunday shopping works in Scotland, where it has been lawful for some years. In Edinburgh the supermarkets are open for about six to eight hours (slightly less than for weekdays), and many of the other retailers (including the larger bookshops) are also open for limited periods, although they are permitted to open all day. In general, most of the large stores in Princes Street remain closed, but do open on Sundays in the run-up to Christmas.

Because of the absence of commercial traffic on Sundays, motor traffic is generally lighter in the cities.

There seem to be few problems caused by Sunday trading, so why don't the English and Welsh take the plunge and a liberal attitude to the matter?

Yours faithfully,

RALPH SIMMONDS

Edinburgh

22 November