I READ the article Inside Track article by Alan Tennie ("Time to introduce a permit system for buskers", The Herald, May 11) and thought, yes, it is time to change things for buskers.

First get rid of all the wannabe Ed Sheerans with their amps. The noise is starting to get unbearable, as these "hard-working street performers" don't seem capable of playing without "enhancement". Conversation is impossible as you walk by, and weekends are a wall of noise as you walk down Buchanan Street. How they expect to get any money defies me, as most people seem to give them a wide berth to avoid the noise.

Next, instead of having to audition for a permit why not introduce a scratchcard? For a nominal fee the busker could buy a scratchcard, scratch off the location where they are to busk, the date and time, then they would have to display this giving them, say, two hours from when they start. These could be sold from the tourist office and could be monitored by the civil enforcement officers who wander the streets. I realise this would need the co-operation of the council, but then so would permits. This could stop people hogging good spots.

We used to enjoy going to see the buskers at the weekend, but not any longer due to the excess noise. They are more likely to keep you moving than stop to listen. These days you hardly see a crowd at a busker, unless it is a novelty act like the Tin Bin Man.

If a busker is rotten, so what? Some of them can be so bad they are good, and I'd rather have a rotten busker than suffer being a "hip cultural hub". There's always the West End for that.

But first things first, get rid of amplified buskers.

Lindsay Young,

24 Gannochy Drive, Bishopbriggs.