AT the risk of boring your readers rigid, I thought the Council Tax payers of Cambridgeshire might be interested in how their taxes are being spent in an attempt to deny the Canal Side residents the ownership of their own gardens in Elm Low Road. There ar

AT the risk of boring your readers rigid, I thought the Council Tax payers of Cambridgeshire might be interested in how their taxes are being spent in an attempt to deny the Canal Side residents the ownership of their own gardens in Elm Low Road.

There are currently two proposals on the table to settle this mess:

Proposal one: The Council's.

* The residents all pay for their own conveyancing costs. The residents all pay �50 towards the council's legal costs. The residents all pay the council �1 for their piece of land. Total cost to residents �300 to �400. Income to the council coffers; �14.

Proposal two: The Residents.

* The council withdraw their objection to the residents claiming Adverse Possession. The residents then go ahead to claim the land through the Land Registry Service. This would cost the council nothing and the residents �30 to �70. Income to council zero.

This clearly shows that the only advantage to the council to the matter being settled on their terms rather than ours is �14. I have contacted the councils agents and offered to pay this �14 myself to halt the whole crazy process and save the tax payers whatever stupid amount the council intend spending to try and defeat our aims.

Even as I am writing this my wife is fishing for change down the back of the sofa, breaking open old money boxes and trying to find a bank that will convert an old Turkish Lira L100,000 note into sterling.

MALCOLM THOMAS

Spokesperson for the true owners of the old canal gardens