WHILST not wanting to become involved in the asylum debate, the statement by John P Hunter (EA, March 17) that the UK is many times more densely populated than other European country needs correcting.

The Netherlands has a population of 388 per sq km, Belgium 366, UK 243 and Germany 230.

The reason for the overcrowding is because 89 per cent of the population are living in just seven per cent of the 242,534 sq km the area of the UK.

Two thirds of the other 93 per cent are owned by about one per cent of the population for which they pay no tax and are subsidised with billions of pounds by the taxpayer.

M J WARNER

Malvern Road

Swindon