How the microwave trick to fool car thieves backfired on my dad

Hiding car keys in the microwave doesn’t always work (AA chief reveals his microwave tip to foil tech-savvy car thieves, 5 August). My father did this until my mother heated milk for coffee without first checking that the microwave was empty. The key fob was destroyed and the microwave badly damaged.
David Sinclair
Edinburgh

• “Where are all the economists?” asks your columnist Simon Jenkins (8 August). The vast majority have possibly given up in despair over Brexit. If the lunatics take over the asylum, what’s the point in having doctors?
Alan Fairs
Bewdley, Worcestershire

• Brexit got rid of the Erasmus scheme not only for students (Letters, 4 August) but also for academics. I gave lectures in a number of European countries as part of it. We also had the pleasure of having academics from universities across the EU visiting our institution and teaching.
Dr Khosro S Jahdi
Leeds

• Our holiday essentials (Letters, 8 August) used to include J cloths, thick string, a roll of parcel tape and large safety pins. The pins were useful when trekking as, attached to our rucksacks, our washed socks would dry as we walked.
Paul and Caroline Boyce
Dollar, Clackmannanshire

• In West Yorkshire in the 50s and 60s, a deep-fried potato slice in batter was known as a collop (Letters, 4 August). Our local chippy also served a fishcake that was a layer of fish between two slices of potato, deep fried in batter.
Pete Brook
Llanfairpwllgwyngyll, Anglesey

• Have an opinion on anything you’ve read in the Guardian today? Please email us your letter and it will be considered for publication.