SUDAN: I AM writing to ask your readers to support Unicef's work in Darfur, Sudan, where we are deeply concerned about increased violence against children.

Unicef staff working in the troubled region are reporting an increasing number of people arriving in the camps and a surge in violent incidents in and around the camps themselves.

Armed militia are raping girls and women as a tactic to terrorise and humiliate them and their families and communities. Many girls and women walk six to eight miles a day to get firewood for their basic survival - terrified of harassment and rape.

This violence is in clear violation of international humanitarian law and existing agreements recently signed by the government of Sudan.

Please spare a thought for these children living in constant fear of famine, poverty and violence this Christmas. You can make a difference by helping to raise money for children caught up in this conflict.

One of the most important things we can do is to return a sense of normality to children, giving them the confidence to believe in a life and a future beyond war and poverty is central to Unicef's mission. Education plays a vital part in building that confidence.

For £46 Unicef can provide a recreation kit to service a school of 400 children; £110 will buy a school-in-box fit for 80 children. Please give whatever you can today by sending your donation of Unicef's Children of Sudan Emergency Appeal, Unicef, PO Box 1800, South Yorkshire, S6 4UG. Thank you. - Louis Coles, Regional Fundraising Manager, North-East.

TONY BLAIR

FOR some time now I have looked on with consternation while the cynical media have brainwashed the public in their vilification of Tony Blair.

Regardless of the economic prosperity achieved under his leadership, every new policy is presented by the BBC, ITV and the Tory press with scorn and derision.

Look at the publicity given to the deployment of the Black Watch in Iraq, where a low-key approach would have been better appreciated by our troops.

Another prime example was the unfortunate Ken Bigley affair.

Now the media is geared up for war, engineered by the Lords, in order to disrupt a possible election, where hunt supporters will be encouraged to continue their barbaric practice.

My advice to Tony Blair, if anarchy breaks out, is give them the same treatment Margaret Thatcher gave the miners.

The latest proposals outlined in the Queen's Speech, designed for the well-being and safety of our people, were seized upon and questioned by the media.

I would remind readers that our country was being bombed by terrorists before Tony Blair assumed power. During his first week in government he moved to address the problem and stuck to what was considered an impossible task. The bombings have since ceased and the people in Northern Ireland are enjoying a peace never before achieved in their lifetime. - Maurice Baker, Spennymoor.

WASTE PERMIT SCHEME

DAVID Yorke (HAS Nov 19)) seems to have missed the point behind Durham County Council's decision to introduce a permit scheme for certain vehicles using household waste recycling centres.

Basically, it is designed to save the council - and therefore council tax payers like him - about £1m a year.

That is how much it is costing to deal with commercial waste left illegally at our household waste recycling centres by people seeking to avoid paying the statutory waste disposal charges.

The permit scheme is designed to prevent these people using the sites, many of whom come from outside the county, driven here by restrictions placed on similar facilities by their own authorities.

The vast majority of County Durham householders using our sites will not be affected, will not require a permit, and can continue using the sites as before.

A relatively small number of residents will require permits, but we intend to make the process as simple and convenient as possible.

The use of the sites for depositing commercial waste is not only costly to the public purse, but also illegal, as is the fly-tipping Mr Yorke mentions in his letter.

The recently appointed fly-tipping enforcement officer will be working with county and district council officers to identify offenders. The fines for fly tipping are significant, and we will not shrink from prosecuting where appropriate. - Councillor Brian Myers, Cabinet Member for Waste Management, Durham County Council.

ROAD CONGESTION

WE read (Echo, Nov 26) that the Highways Agency is being blamed for congestion on our roads, which is caused, says the National Audit Office, by the agency's reluctance to adopt measures designed to ease the traffic flow.

The truth is that increasing road paralysis is just a reflection of Britain's gross overpopulation, and any devices intended to ease the situation will have only a slight and temporary effect.

The obvious proposal to widen existing roads and build new ones overlooks the fact that we are running out of space, not only for roads, but also for industrial and residential development, new towns, sports facilities, waste disposal sites and land set aside for leisure pursuits.

This leaves the unthinkable alternative of reducing the volume of traffic, and this in the face of a Government commitment to population growth.

The present Transport Minister is already considering toll roads, and inevitably he or one of his successors will make the wildly unpopular decision to price some of us off the roads.

Yet, only recently, the Home Secretary claimed that there is no obvious limit to immigration into this country. - Bob Jarratt, Richmond.

ID CARDS

THE Queen's Speech saw the announcement of the Identity Cards Bill which will establish a National Identity Register with basic details of all long-term UK residents.

The database will be accessed via an ID card holding unique biometric data. There will be two registration stages - voluntary, when all those applying for new passports will have to purchase an ID card, and compulsory, when all others will have to register.

Once cards are compulsory they will be needed to access a range of public and private services.

The Liberal Democrats are opposed to compulsory ID cards. We believe it is likely to be another expensive Government IT failure because it relies on new technology and that it is unlikely to achieve its stated objectives of tackling illegal immigration, terrorism, fraud and cutting crime.

Employers in industries known to have illegal workers already have to check ID documents. Cards are unlikely to cut crime. The problem is not identifying criminals but having the manpower to catch them.

The scheme may also further discriminate against ethnic minorities who are disproportionately targeted under anti-terrorism and illegal immigration operations. - Jacqueline Bell, PPC Liberal Democrats, Richmond.