SIR – At around 8am on Monday, October 12, my back went into a severe spasm causing extreme pain and rendering me immobile. Unfortunately, at that very time I was sitting by Platform 1 at St Albans Station waiting to get a train to work in London. Throug

SIR - At around 8am on Monday, October 12, my back went into a severe spasm causing extreme pain and rendering me immobile. Unfortunately, at that very time I was sitting by Platform 1 at St Albans Station waiting to get a train to work in London.

Through your paper I would like to thank the many people who assisted me with phone calls, glasses of water, some Nurofen and even assisting my wife in carefully manhandling me into a car so that I could go and get the help I needed.

In particular I wish to thank the station staff (one of whom had just returned to work that day after being on sick leave with his own back injury!) who were so caring and helpful.

My heartfelt thanks and gratitude go to all who helped me in any and every way that awful morning. The kindness of strangers and the warm-heartedness of St Albans, my adopted home town, has never been more evident.

BRIAN MARTIN

Holywell Hill, St Albans