ACCORDING to Teletext, St Helens tourism chiefs have reported that the town received over six million visitors in 2003, who pumped £114 million into the local economy.

Are these 20,000 visitors a day additional to locals shopping or working locally, or the binge drinkers who invade at weekends?

Personally I've not seen tourists sitting on open top buses with their cameras in hand, have you?

At £114 million that's roughly £1,500 per St Helens household, so if it really is true, how about free Council Tax for domestic payers?

Douglas Fir (full address supplied)