DR ROBIN WADE: I WAS very saddened to read about the events leading up to Dr Robin Wade's appearance in court last week (Echo, June 21 and 22).

My family and I have been patients at Moorlands surgery in Darlington for many years and I remember when Dr Wade first joined the practice at the beginning of his career. I have always seen him as an extremely gentle and sympathetic man as well as a genuine and competent doctor.

I sincerely hope that all the problems he has shouldered in recent times can now be overcome, which I am sure they will be now that people are aware that he is in need of some support.

I only wish that the Press could understand that doctors are human beings too and undertake possibly one of the hardest jobs in the world.

Having responsibility over other people's lives must be an overwhelming proposition, one which I am sure, with back up and understanding, Dr Wade will soon be able to carry on with. - Y Bennett, Darlington.

DARLINGTON HIGH ROW

DARLINGTON Borough Council leader John Williams's idea for modernising High Row won't wash with many of us (HAS, June 24).

You don't have to have a town centre "move on" when it is exceptionally good as it is. In some cases the work of a hundred and more years ago just can't be bettered.

You can't both "move the town centre forward" and also "cherish its distinctiveness" - the two things are conflicting.

Also, its distinctiveness is exactly as it is now. That would be absolutely lost with the council's totally irresponsible plan. When will they learn? - A Johnson, Darlington.

BERYL Hankin (HAS, June 22) writes about Darlington's "existing heritage", but the balustrades and railings on High Row are not part of that as, before late Victorian times, they did not exist.

There is a drawing of the High Row in 1776 which just shows a sloping road down from what is now Binns to where the Covered Market is today - where, back then, there was a court house with a place for hanging in the market square.

In the plans for Darlington's new town centre, the High Row and West Row have got steps separating them, which will be a big improvement on what it looked like in 1776.

Darlington's new look town centre is not going to be the same as any other modern town centre. It has been architecturally designed and a great deal of thought has gone into it. - Margaret A Greenhalgh, Darlington.

HISTORY

ANDREW Bell appears to defend the reputation of Adolf Hitler by implying that, if not for him, the German people would have been enslaved by Communists (HAS, June 23).

This is little comfort for those who were persecuted by Hitler because of their race, religion, or political belief.

There is no way of proving his argument because no-one can say what might have happened. Having said that, his letter makes one good point: millions of people died because of Communism. But then again, millions have died - and are still dying today - because of capitalism and imperialism.

It would seem that the issue here is not what the oppressors believe, but what they do. And if we can learn anything from the past, it is that hierarchical social relations produce conflict and genocide. There is no point in defending one type of tyranny over another; it gets us nowhere. - James Doran, Darlington.

GUN CULTURE

USUALLY the pictures in The Northern Echo are excellent, but I found one in June 20's paper disturbing. It showed a little boy smiling as he held and aimed a huge assault rifle.

I know it was supposed to be "in fun", it was safe and a Royal Marine was there with him, but should children be encouraged and allowed to handle weapons?

We have a gun culture ruining many of our towns and cities. In other countries children are forced to be child soldiers, killing people. We shudder at the thought. Are we that much wiser and better?

Pictures featuring little children trying out deadly weapons does nothing to stop the evil gun culture from spreading. The whole experience no doubt left the child with the impression that guns are fun and they get you in the papers. - EA Moralee, Billingham.

Sedgefield HOUSING

AFTER watching the Sedgefield Borough Council video on the transfer of council housing stock to Sedgefield Housing, I have to say that never ever in my 60-plus years have I seen such a load of rubbish.

How much is the council spending on all these videos? This money should be spent on fencing security for the aged and disabled. - Name and address supplied, Sedgefield.

SMOKERS

WHY is that when an office or shop goes 'smoke free' the odd worker who is an addict goes to the front door of the building to smoke?

This means that customers have to go through the smoke, making their clothes stink and, whenever the door is opened, fumes from the fags blow inside.

Why not make smokers go to the back of the building or anywhere where the general public will not be inflicted with noxious fumes? - E Reynolds, Wheatley Hill.

ROAD PRICING

Richmond Liberal Democrats welcome Alistair Darling's announcement on road pricing. We are advocates of road pricing and I was questioned by North Yorkshire constituents about this during the General Election.

According to a MORI poll in June, 47 per cent support a higher price for use of roads in peak hours so long as there was some reduction in Vehicle Excise Duty. Therefore, the British public would seem to see the logic behind road pricing.

The Government has hinted that road usage will be charged according to distance travelled, with charges subject to local variations. However, LibDems believe that any system should be based on vehicle pollution levels. Road pricing is only part of the solution. It is not a substitute for an integrated transport system.

I advocate scrapping fuel duty and replacing it with road user pricing based on when and where you are driving and the type of vehicle. Road use payments must be revenue neutral. It is a way to fairly tax rather than a fuel tax.

It treats road space as a resource. If you travel by rail or plane you expect to pay more at peak times. The same should apply to road usage. It is expected that four out of five journeys would be cheaper.

Road user pricing would help rural areas where there is no public transport alternative. Rural drivers currently pay more for their fuel.

However, in urban areas, public transport must be a real alternative to car usage. - Jacquie Bell, Parliamentary Spokesperson, Richmond Liberal Democrats.