NAME AND SHAME: WHY has our council the need to name and shame our fellow citizens for dropping litter when they have already paid their fines?

To further humiliate these people is an act of cowardice and is the sort of action that we can only expect from the power mad.

If naming and shaming is to become the norm in Darlington for litter dropping, then why not start with those who insist we dump our rubbish by the roadside once every week. These are the same people who would rather spend our money destroying the town centre rather than providing wheelie bins for our rubbish. - Jim Rishworth, Darlington.

IMMIGRATION

THE Home Office doesn't know how many illegal immigrants there are, but Fred Atkinson does (HAS, Jan 4).

He reckons 100,000 come in each year. Perhaps he should present his evidence to the Home Office. Illegal immigrants disappear, which is why they can't be counted. When found, they are arrested and detained.

Fred says they often turn to crime. This can only be known when the criminals are apprehended. Where is the evidence? He says they are taking over whole towns. Which towns, Fred? If they even began to "take over" a town, wouldn't they make themselves a bit obvious, and risk arrest and deportation?

Making such wild claims without a shred of evidence is irresponsible, and fuels hostility towards asylum seekers and refugees, who, by definition, cannot be illegal immigrants, and have every right to be here. Because they have made official claims for asylum, or have been granted refugee status, they are easily counted. Many are subjected to assault, intimidation, even murder. A police study revealed that they are no more likely to commit crimes than anyone else, but are more likely to be victims of crime. - Pete Winsatnley, Durham.

I AGREE WITH Fred Atkinson (HAS, Jan 4) that there is an education need here. But the education need is his, not that of immigrants in this country.

It is very easy to pull figures out of the air without considering the real facts. Most people arriving in Britain speak at least one language other than their own; many are polyglots. The proportion of degree-educated people, particularly amongst asylum seekers, is higher than the national average amongst the British population.

Many immigrants are filling jobs where there is a desperate national shortage, such as in the health service, whilst others are in seasonal jobs that, by their nature, attract short-term workers, such as European students wishing to brush up on their English during their gap year. People in the lower end of the market work long hours just to buy food in minimum-wage jobs, whilst at the other end of the scale, they are holding together a service which arguably would collapse without them.

No-one thinks our streets are paved with gold and as you walk the streets of Dover, just consider how many of those "100,000" may be doctors, nurses or the students who clean your hotel room whilst you are out and about criticising them. - Pauline Cassim, Hartlepool.

PERHAPS Mr Atkinson (HAS, Jan 4) could enlighten us with where he gets his figure of 100,000 illegal immigrants from?

Stating that there are lots of lorries coming to and from Europe hardly constitutes a scientific theory.

Can he also state where he gets the information that they "often turn to crime"? I have never seen any proof of this, and I suspect your correspondent hasn't either.

It is perhaps time that the myths about immigration were exposed for what they are - just that. - Name and address supplied.

PARLIAMENTARY SYSTEM

IT is odd to find a Conservative (HAS, Jan 5) complaining about the unfairness of the electoral system. A system his party has supported through thick and thin.

He complains that Conservative constituencies are bigger than Labour constituencies. Whilst this is true, he exaggerates the difference.

Labour-held constituencies have on average 65,700 voters, Conservative 72,100 and Liberal Democrat 68,000. Not very big differences.

The real inequity is in the number of votes required to elect an MP. The Labour Party nationally obtained 10.7 million votes which elected 412 MPs, 26,000 votes per MP. The Conservatives required 50,300 votes to elect each of their 166 MPs and the Liberal Democrats 92,600 votes to elect one of their 52 MPs.

It is a system which allows a party obtaining 42 per cent of the votes cast completely to dominate our Parliament, where it has 63 per cent of MPs. - Peter Wilson, Barnard Castle.

RAIL SERVICES

FIRSTGROUP is still in the running to operate East Coast Mainline services despite its bid having been referred to the Competition Commission. Why?

Surely the Strategic Rail Authority knows the best service provider for the East Coast can only be GNER.

GNER has the proven track record for this area, apart from the fact that GNER provides the most reliable timetable and is the best performing operator.

In the last three years, GNER has contributed £78.2m to the Government for the right to run the East Coast franchise.

GNER has also turned a £61.6m subsidy in its first year to £22.5m of premium payments paid back to Government in 2003/4. Which other train operator has done anything near that?

Remember the old adage: "if it's not broken, why mend it?" - Brian Green, Darlington.

DAVID BLUNKETT

I HAVE read the whole story of David Blunkett with extreme sadness and dismay.

There is a point of view that the mistake which led to his resignation were the comments that he made in his biography about his fellow Ministers. So, for some fairly ordinary comments which, in a robust society would not attract much attention, a Minister had to resign.

But there is another side to all this and that is the moral one. As far as I am aware, there has been no public reference to the fact that Mr Blunkett has broken the seventh commandment: thou shalt not commit adultery.

When I was younger it was the custom to recite the Ten Commandments in church. That is not the case today and it has been sad that no church leader has been prepared to make a comment about the matter.

Mr Blair made a comment on Mr Blunkett. He (Mr Blunkett) leaves, Mr Blair insisted, "with his integrity intact".

To me this is a sad reflection on present day standards of those in high places. - Canon David Hinge, Ingleton, Darlington.