THANK you to Russell Jones (Stench Of Hypocrisy Driving Me Crazy, News Shopper, April 19) for confirming my views the practice of allowing underqualified instructors to teach pupils is wrong.

Yes, I did go through the system but I qualified first time in a little over three months.

I was transparent and kept my pupils advised of my status.

I advised News Shopper of this before the first article was published, so no hypocrisy there.

Since qualifying and being graded a five on my first check test I have realised how little experience I had in the early days.

I am growing more and more concerned by the flood of trainee licences I see on the streets.

I am more concerned by the comments from some of my new pupils who have paid good money for lessons from some of these trainees.

My reason for the article was public concern.

It costs nothing to tell the truth. The public should be given a choice.

I am glad you mentioned the Driving Instructors' Association (DIA) are also against the practice of using trainees as substitute instructors but find it difficult to believe when I was signed up to the DIA as a trainee as are many of the 14,000 members you quoted.

The DIA paid Chevron Driving School a fee for every new member they recruited.

The more letters taking a swipe at me, the more I am convinced I am getting somewhere.

I have made a report to trading standards and Paul Butler, head of policy at the Driving Standards Agency.

ADRIAN LEWIS

Catford