RAILWAY HERITAGE: I HAVE lived in Darlington some 15 years now and have often taken my son to the Railway Museum and to the Thomas the Tank Engine fun days.

This town and area is supposed to have a passion for the railways, yet what is left of the railways' starting point, the Stockton and Darlington Railway, is left overgrown, turned into a cycle path or had houses built on it.

Why has the original line never been rebuilt and marketed as a tourist attraction? The revenue generated would surely far exceed any building and maintenance costs. It would bring jobs and place this area on the world map under a big banner saying 'it started here'!

If the birth of the railways was anywhere else in the world it would be one of the biggest attractions ever. I think it's a shame we hide or lose our railway heritage and achievements. - Keith Howdle, Darlington.

OLYMPICS

WHAT a farce! Two athletes are to be tested for drug abuse, neither turn up, then, surprisingly, they fall off a motorbike and sustain minor bruises which normally are treated and the patients discharged within a few hours.

Instead, they spend days in hospital.

If they were innocent as they declare, then surely a hospital is an ideal place to test them to prove that they do not take drugs. - E Reynolds, Wheatley Hill.

CYCLING

I AM always sceptical about claims that 'research indicates' certain things.

Hugh Jackson (HAS, Aug 9) makes such claims about cyclists taking care among pedestrians and, particularly, that pedestrians are not bothered by cyclists.

From observation and talking to others, neither of his statements holds water. And I cannot believe that cycling in the town centre will significantly improve trade. It would take hordes of cyclists to do that.

Sally Forth (HAS, Aug 11) also produces red herrings. She blames the poor cyclists' plight on cars and the council, implying it is unsafe for cyclists to go about in Darlington.

Perhaps she will give us the numbers of cyclists who have come a cropper in the town in the last year.

If users of other wheeled vehicles have to park away from the centre and walk the rest of the way, why can't the poor cyclist leave his/her wheels in secure cycle parks and do the same? Walking is just as beneficial to health as cycling. The cycling lobby is using ridiculous arguments which just don't add up. - RK Bradley, Darlington.

RECYCLING

I WRITE in response to your article (Echo, Aug 12) about the improvement in recycling across the North-East and North Yorkshire.

The introduction of kerbside recycling has had a great impact on those figures. In County Durham, every district area now has separate collection of recyclables at the kerbside covering at least three materials and there is no doubt the public are playing an active part in helping us achieve our current rate of 17 per cent recycling/composting, which meets the national target set by the Government.

This has been very instrumental in the county council's waste service being judged 'good' by the Audit Commission during its recent Best Value Inspection, with "promising prospects for improvement".

We will not be resting on our laurels and will be running a campaign over the next two years to increase further public participation across the county.

Meanwhile, I would like to take this opportunity to thank the public of County Durham for the part they have played and to encourage them to continue their active role in recycling over the coming years. - Brian Myers MBE, cabinet member for Waste Management, Durham County Council.

EDUCATION

THE report on the high number of British youth who have such a poor grasp of history of our country is a clear indication that, for many years now, history has been poorly taught in our schools (Echo, Aug 5).

It has been claimed that making pupils learn dates and names is boring. Rather than teaching who did what when, other modern methods have been used instead. The results are now evident. No wonder educational traditionalists are aghast.

Many of the people surveyed confused fact with fiction. Gandalf helping to destroy the Spanish Armada, for example. Even more recent history such as events of the Second World War were just as confused and obscure to those questioned.

Every country needs to learn from its history. How can it do so if no one learns that history? Our young people have the right to know about our past, both the good and the bad things that happened, warts and all, glory and all.

Time for a thorough reassessment of history teaching in our schools. - EA Moralee, Billingham.

LAW AND ORDER

I MUST admit not knowing if your Tory correspondent Michael Fishwick was having a joke with the readers of The Northern Echo (HAS, Aug 17) when trying to claim the Tories have the answer to the problem of crime.

Is this really the same Tory party which was in power during the period between 1979 and 1997, when overall crime went up by no less than 100 per cent?

And is this the same Michael Howard who, as Home Secretary, actually cut police officer numbers by 1,000?

Reducing the size of the police force seems a strange way to fight crime.

The Tories' claim to be the party of law and order has been proved to be a hollow sham. - P Rivers, Wallsend.

CROFT CIRCUIT

PROBABLY the biggest sporting event ever held in the Darlington area and what do we get from The Northern Echo: a front page article covering only the traffic congestion incurred for a couple of hours on Sunday morning.

No mention of the large numbers of people visiting our area for the first time, utilising local shops, pubs etc and pumping substantial sums into the local economy. No mention of the exemplary behaviour of the 30-40,000 spectators (imagine the police resources that would be required for a football match attracting those numbers).

It is time that the Echo realises that there is more to sport in the area than football and cricket. British Superbikes is one of the top bike race series in the world today, yet your coverage has been more akin to a village cricket match.

Croft Circuit should be congratulated on attracting this major event to our area and putting on such a tremendous spectacle.

If there are any lessons to be learned, then perhaps the local media should look at themselves for failing to advise of possible congestion on Sunday. - Ian Holme, Hurworth.