Noisy mechanical mowers don’t cut it anymore

sir – William Sitwell (Features, June 3) deplores robot mowers.

Others welcome the silence that they bring, and the absence of the petrol fumes produced by their raucous mechanical predecessors. These devices are closer – as Mr Sitwell’s comparison with a tortoise suggests – to a grazing animal, constantly controlling the grass.

Some owners may indeed be “sitting back with a chilled drink”, rather than getting a bit of exercise, but others will be using their time creatively, perhaps in a different part of the garden.

In any case, for those adjoining or passing their gardens, the quietness of these tortoise-like robots is most welcome.

Meriel Buxton

Westerby, Leicestershire