I wish to respond to your report on the compensation claim against Balloon Rides (Evening Press, May 20).

We are sorry that Mr Button was injured on the preparations for the flight. This is not our experience. We have flown with this company and for the first three attempts - unsuccessful because of the weather - we were treated very carefully indeed. We twice helped the crew take the basket from the trailer and they could not have been more careful.

I am sorry we live in the culture that leaves every accident open to compensation claims.

We have no doubt as to the care of the organisers and would fly again with them tomorrow.

Francis and Margaret Loftus,

Green Lane,

North Duffield,

Selby.

Converted for the new archive on 30 June 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.