HAVING received a parking fine for stopping for less than two minutes near the McDonald’s in the town centre not too long ago, I am quite pleased to hear that we now have the drive-through here in Leigh.

As well as not having to worry about parking, the nearest 24-hour option we had before was Stone Cross – a fair distance from Leigh town centre.

While I do think that three of the same restaurant in a town the size of Leigh may be excessive, I’m a little tired of the health excuse being used in the counter argument.

No-one is being forced to go and buy Big Macs.

No-one is expecting a surge in obesity as teenagers make it a challenge to eat something at each outlet in as short a time frame as possible.

This seems to be little more than a rather tame and, I predict, short-lived moral panic.

The problem with health is not that there are too many McDonald’s in too small an area.

The problem is that the youth are either not educated properly about the dangers of fast food, are not restricted enough by their parents when it comes to eating, or are simply too lazy to worry about exercise and maintaining a balanced diet.

I don’t think that, in trying to push the blame onto someone else, we should sacrifice all the benefits the new McDonald’s has to offer.

Vio Amethyst
Student, Leigh Sixth Form