WAR: You have given much prominence to Reg Keys, whose son was killed in Iraq and who stood against Tony Blair in Sedgefield in the General Election.

Did The Northern Echo give prominence to a young officer, Lt Anthony Prestridge, who was killed on Bowes Moor on July 13, 1943, together with a captain?

They were killed by 25-pounder artillery fire and I was right beside them, although I escaped unscathed.

A soldier, especially of the infantry, will ever be pregnable as soon as he enlists, for he is duty bound.

The young lieutenant rests in peace in Startforth churchyard. It was not the fault of the prime minister. - Name and address supplied.

RUBBISH

WEAR Valley Council is giving out brown bins for garden rubbish. What criteria does it use to decide who should receive one?

It appears that the people who didn't need one and then complained have received one, whereas people who genuinely need one have not.

When I complained to my local councillor, he said I could take my garden rubbish to the tip. I think that's what we need to do with some councillors when they put up for re-election. - G Hall, Crook.

EU CONSTITUTION

ONCE again we have 'No' campaign director Neil Herron from Sunderland talking a load of rubbish (Echo, June 16).

He now wants Tony Blair to hold a referendum on the European Union Constitutional Treaty.

But only a few months ago we heard him and his cronies rant on about the referendum on a Northern Regional Assembly being a waste of money.

A bit hypocritical of him to now want the Government to spend millions on a referendum that has no significance at all after the French and Dutch vote. - JL Thompson, Crook.

FUSILIERS REUNION

A NUMBER of men from this area were called up to the Royal Welsh Fusiliers on April 2, 1940, reporting to Liverpool. Where are Bill Tweddle from Eppleby, Freddie Harburn and Bestie from Darlington, and Metcalfe from Barnard Castle? It would be great to hear from you in this 60th anniversary year. - Ernie Jones, Sunderland. Tel: 0191-522 9885.

NEWCASTLE UNITED

FORMER Newcastle player Rob Lee has informed Scott Parker that Newcastle are bigger than Chelsea (Echo, June 17). What rubbish. In this age of the plc super-club, no-one is clever or rich enough to take Newcastle forward with committed players who could interest and excite the best supporters in the country.

Kevin Keegan came close when signing players like Alan Shearer (£15m), Andy Cole (£6.25m) and John Beresford (£1.5m).

Years previously, Stan Seymour gave the club success. He signed forms for Newcastle for £2,500 in 1920, aged 27. His strength and obstinacy shone, often walking to Kelloe and bathing in his mother's tin bath in the yard.

Stan had dreams and ambitions for Newcastle United, which he fulfilled when playing and later managing the club. He scored 84 goals in 266 matches. In 1924, Newcastle won the FA Cup and in 1927 the League.

People like Stan unfortunately are not available anymore. - Bernard McCormick, Newton Aycliffe.

POLICE PARKING

WHAT a thoroughly ridiculous reaction to the story of two police officers parking in a place reserved for the disabled (Echo, June 15).

I am sure the upright citizen who reported them must also do something to redress the balance. I am sure he will find numerous vehicles displaying disabled stickers whose occupants bounce out onto the pavements with hardly a sign of any disability. Perhaps their behaviour can be explained by the fact they are not paying a parking fee like the rest of us.

If the officers are disciplined, it will have serious repercussions on their careers. Their bosses should accept they have been no more than thoughtless.

As for the accusers, the next time they call the police in an emergency, they must hope there are no double yellow lines outside their homes. - D Brearley, Middlesbrough.

DARLINGTON

I AGREE with Mike Barker (HAS, June 17) when he asks why the developers who are involved in the new plans for Darlington's pedestrian heart haven't offered us a design which marries the best of the improvements with the existing features which we like.

The majority of people who care about Darlington are not making their voices heard loudly enough. If they don't speak soon, it will be too late. We will have lost features like the Victorian balustrades on the High Row which mark us out as unique and historic.

We don't want to be just another model of some town centre that they have somewhere else in the country. We may have to have a fashionable (and probably vandal-friendly) water feature, but at least keep the features in the town that people have enjoyed as part of Darlington for so many years.

Is it beyond the scope of the developers to include our existing heritage in this design and not just take the easy route of clearing out and building new? In my opinion, they will only produce a pedestrian heart without a soul. - Beryl Hankin, Guru, Blackwellgate, Darlington.

WHEN are the people of Darlington going to get a decent bus station?

Due to unforeseen circumstances, my husband and I waited for a bus to Blackpool for two hours on the open street on a very cold morning, with the result that we both suffered very severe colds.

Had there been a comfortable, warm bus station, that would have been avoided. - M Bright, Darlington.

NUCLEAR DUMP

THE story about the release of the secret list of potential radioactive waste dump sites was very timely (Echo, June 11). It showed that in the 1980s, the seabed off Redcar was being considered.

The Government's Committee on Radioactive Waste Management (CoRWM) is currently consulting the public on a proposed shortlist of options for the management of nuclear waste. The consultation ends on Monday.

Although the nuclear waste agency, Nirex, says that any new search for a disposal site would not use the 1980s list as its starting point, it is quite likely that sites on the old list would appear on a new list because the geology hasn't changed. Consequently, communities near the 537 sites on the list will want to have their say on the CoRWM consultation. The Nuclear Free Local Authorities have demanded the consultation period be extended to give these communities a chance to respond. However CoRWM is under pressure from the Government to make recommendations by July 2006.

If anyone who was surprised to learn that their local area was on the secret list of potential dump sites wants to respond to the CoRWM consultation, but is unable to do so by Monday, we recommend they ask their MP to seek ministerial approval for an extension to the consultation deadline. We also suggest that submissions are made to CoRWM beyond the deadline. - Stewart Kemp, Secretary, Nuclear Free Local Authorities Secretariat, Manchester City Council, Town Hall, Manchester, M60 3NY.