I REFER to your article last week about mud on our roads. Mud not only makes roads slippery; it obscures the white lines and other road markings, and gets deposited on low-level roadside signs rendering them illegible, especially at night. But how practic

I REFER to your article last week about mud on our roads.Mud not only makes roads slippery; it obscures the white lines and other road markings, and gets deposited on low-level roadside signs rendering them illegible, especially at night.But how practicable is it for farmers to clear the mud from roads such as the A141, A142 and A605?These roads have numerous access points to fields and farms, but they also have a 60mph speed limit, and quite substantial traffic density, including many heavy lorries, for most of the short daylight hours at this time of year.Is it safe for farm workers to actually stop with a tractor and water bowser on the road to wash away the mud, or to stand in the carriageway with brooms and shovels?What would the repercussions be if a motorist and/or farm worker were seriously injured or killed while mud clearing was being performed in this way? Perhaps all farmers should pay a pre-determined sum to the highway authorities, so that the latter can clear the mud from the road surface and the adjacent signs in a safe manner using appropriate specialist vehicles, equipped with adequate warnings (signs and flashing lights) to alert approaching motorists to their presence on the road. ALLAN SIBLEYHigh School Close March