I suppose there's not a touch of sour grapes aimed at the Portsmouth Spinnaker via those controversial laser beam whose 15 mile reach might interfere with the dominance of that attractive tourist edifice?

Will the beams be a risk for traffic traversing Portsdown Hill or aircraft heading for Eastleigh airport?

My admittedly vested interests wonder, too, if such technology will affect the surge of strange unidentified flying objects photographed by the Southampton UFO and Paranormal Group.

Local and national amateur and professional astronomers might be interested to know that a January 7 photo of a truly weird object near our moon is winging its way to the Science Centre of Herstmonceux Observatory at Hailsham in East Sussex, for evaluation.

ERNIE SEARS, Southampton UFO and Paranormal Group, Netley Abbey.