I READ in the Lancashire Telegraph this week about calls for a ban on these high calorie milkshakes - or so-called freakshakes.

What a load of nonsense. Yes they are bad for you but they’re meant as a treat for goodness sake.

There are plenty of dessert bars in Blackburn, yes, but would we rather have successful entrepreneurs boosting the economy – or a load of empty shops?

Why are people singling out desserts or milkshakes anyway? What about alcohol? That causes more deaths and costs the NHS more than sugar. Are we to ban beer and wine? Should we ban pubs? Let’s ban burgers too, while we’re at it, and takeaways. Where does it all end?

We need to decide what sort of society we want to live in. Do we want freedom of choice or a nanny state?

Bans and taxes on some foods and drinks and drugs and not others is a half way house. We need to make our mind up.

Ed Stevenson, Blackburn