What a lot of rot some Marlborough traders talk about the Jazz Festival. The A4 wasn’t closed.

The road sign simply said No through road. Access to High St and Shops only.

Anybody who wanted to could still park in front of the jewellers.

The only effect was to detour the through traffic i.e. those vehicles that wouldn’t be stopping at the shops anyway.

I wonder about those places where business was brisker than usual, the cafes, restaurants, pubs, hotels, all kinds of food outlets and how does that figure in the overall effect on Marlborough business.

I noted that one small supermarket even appeared to have sent out for further supplies.

Surely, with all of those visitors you’d think that, like the butcher and a few others, shops would see it as an opportunity.

After all, they’re not usually slow at capitalising on other calendrical events, so why not this?

I’m sure that Ronnie Barker and Granville in their corner shop would have done so and the shops at the Cheltenham Jazz Festival certainly do.

There, earlier in the year, lured into the kitchen shop by imaginative jazz related window displays, I made several purchases, as did others.

It could so easily be the same in Marlborough.

David Field, Marlborough.