IT is regrettable that Malton will lose its Tourist Information Centre at the end of the month.

I understand that, following the closure, the nearest office will be in Pickering.

I see people using the service each day and it seems unreasonable that it will no longer be in the town when there is clearly a demand for it.

The opening hours of the library will be affected because the tourism office is currently located there.

Norton library has already reduced its opening hours, which means that, as of next week, on a Thursday the people of Malton and Norton will only have access to a library for two hours in the morning and on a Saturday only until 12.30pm.

I would have thought it must be costly to move the Tourist Information Centre, and it is not that long since it moved from its previous premises.

It will certainly cost people to travel to Pickering to get to a tourist information centre or a library. It is more likely that they will stay at home, which is a great pity.

Peter Donnelly, Malton