A warning light on headlights

Sir,

The recent bright sunny days have been a pleasant reminder that spring is on its way. This has lulled many motorists into summer mode, causing them to forget to put on their headlights as the law demands. This, in turn, has led to a spate of policemen waiting at the side of the road, specifically to catch the unwary. They don't want just to give us a friendly warning, but threaten to write out an "act" (indictment) for this heinous crime, unless we can negotiate otherwise. It seems to me that this is pretty ridiculous, bearing in mind that it's been as bright as any summer's day, and that drivers carry on committing much more serious offences with complete impunity.

Could it just be that our highly motivated force of road police, normally specialising in speed restriction offences, see this as just another great profit opportunity, a chance to increase their "reserves" in readiness for Easter?

David Clark

A warning light on property

Sir,

I will give you my view as to why people from the UK are losing interest (in the Bulgarian property market).

I used recommended Bulgarian lawyers to buy my first property and the end result was to find they had allowed me to sign a contract that was considered outrageous as it offered me no compensation even after a seven-month delay.

Using a Bulgarian developer on the Black Sea coast, the project has not gone ahead as planned, and after two years my apartments have not started. I have tried to get money refunded (deposits), and so far it is proving very difficult to get anywhere despite being able to prove breach of contract.

Dealing with Bulgarian developers and lawyers is enough to put anyone off buying, based on my experience.

It is all very well to give advice, but it is not always easy to make sure you are dealing with lawyers that understand developers' contracts, not to mention trustworthy agents. On top of this, you now see the pound sterling only buying 1.30 euro, so everything is more expensive for UK citizens, so some of the silly prices for poor-quality build may have to be adjusted downwards.

What I can say in Bulgaria's favour is that you have a wonderful and beautiful country, but do not spoil it as you have done in Bansko.
It would also be nice to find taxi drivers not taking UK citizens for a ride with loaded fares, especially at airports.

Fred Cameron