CROFT CIRCUIT: I am surprised that your reporter David Roberts (Echo, Aug 16) was silly enough to try and get to Hurworth via the A167 on Sunday morning.

I am even more surprised that he whinged about getting stuck in traffic for two hours.

Surely he knew that the Superbikes were going to be on. Or did he deliberately go at that time so that he had something to write about?

Hasn't your paper got better things to report on than having another go at Croft Circuit on your front page?

It was a wonderful event to have locally, a boost to the area. As a "local" I managed to get to Hurworth to a dog show by using my head and travelling later when the event was well on its way. As for coming home, I used the back roads (via Middleton Tyas) avoiding the congestion which added about ten minutes to my journey. I wasn't inconvenienced at all. I travelled where I wanted.

It was brilliant, seeing all the fans' bikes coming over Croft Bridge on their way home.

Well done Croft Circuit for getting the Superbikes here. - Sharon Gibson, Northallerton.

I WAS disappointed with the negative tone of the reporting of the British Superbike Championship races at Croft (Echo, Aug 16).

It must have been one of the best attended sporting events in this region for a long time, which can only have raised the profile of this area and boosted the local economy.

Why did your front page article concentrate solely on the apparent road "chaos" surrounding the circuit? With any national prestige meeting of this type there is bound to be an element of congestion, this happens at all major sporting events.

How can your reporter David Roberts have become caught up in this "nightmare"? Was he unaware of the event taking place? If he regularly uses the Croft road he would know that signs warning of potential delays were in place for over a fortnight. Was his journey really necessary?

I attended the Superbike races and found the organisation excellent. There seemed to be a great number of police monitoring traffic movement and guiding motorists, and within the circuit, a similarly impressive number of well informed stewards.

How can any article on traffic problems not include an input from the police? It seemed to be based solely on the opinions of two people, one a colleague. What about the opinions of local businesses and hotels? Or any of the spectators?

I feel that a local paper like The Northern Echo could be more supportive of local initiatives, or at least be more objective. Sensational headlines and lazy journalism benefit no-one. - Andy Robinson, Hurworth.

AS a regular attendee at Superbike meetings throughout the UK, I would like to point out that Croft was far easier and quicker to get to than many of the other "major" venues.

Well done to all involved. - G Maud, Stockton.

THE North-East hosted the world's most prestigious national Superbike series on Sunday.

Sadly, The Northern Echo's front page was dedicated to traffic issues relating to the event. I was incensed that you decided to lead with such a negative slant on what was a fantastic event for the region.

As the managing director of a motorcycle performance parts importer, I was delighted that Croft would be hosting a round of the British Superbike Championship for the first time.

Our guests had a fantastic day at Croft, many having travelled to the North-East for the first time. What a boon for the local economy and the image of the region.

Yes, there were traffic problems leading up to the circuit on Sunday. I know, as a number of our invited guests took two hours to travel from Darlington. They all repeated the same comment - it was a shame that the police were more interested in sitting in their cars and on their bikes chatting than they were in managing traffic.

I know a number of Croft residents who all say that the biggest moaners are usually the residents who have moved there in recent years, knowing full well that there is a race circuit on their doorstep.

I believe that the round of BSB at Croft was the best attended of the year so far. This is something that should be applauded if the North-East is to get the chance to host the event in future years.

I'm sure the local economy, especially hotels and pubs, would be delighted to see the British Superbike Championship return.

Hopefully, the BSB Championship will return next year and the police will provide the traffic management required for such an event. - Daniel Pearson, Shildon.

PUBLIC SERVICES

T KELLY (HAS, Aug 12) recognised the excellent work of many public servants. In this light, Mr Kelly may wish to note that the Government has officially recognised Durham County Council as an excellent council that provides top-rated services to the people of County Durham.

The letter went on to suggest that more public money could be saved by rationalising local authority jobs. Durham County Council continues to deliver more and better services each year and is shifting money to the front-line, like the education of our young people and the care of our elderly residents.

In November's referendum on local government reorganisation in County Durham, Mr Kelly will be faced with a simple choice when it comes to public money. One council serving County Durham will save between £14.5m and £21m per year, we calculate. That's the equivalent of over 1,000 teachers, or the replacement of every streetlight in the county with energy efficient columns, or repairs to roads in the county equivalent in length to the distance from here to Manchester.

Put bluntly, three councils will cost more. - County Councillor Peter Thompson, Durham County Council.

LAW AND ORDER

MORE patronising remarks from the so-called educated elite. Prof Williams (HAS, Aug 16) typifies the do-gooder: Please excuse the criminal, for he's had a rough life.

To say that there is nothing available within our communities to steer wrong-doers down a clear path is pure fiction. Compared to 20, 30, or 40 years ago, there's an expert on every corner.

I'm sorry Professor, but the majority of folk in County Durham know exactly and remember very well what it's like to have nothing. You insult the very people who scrimped and saved to put food on tables, whose highlight was a week at Blackpool, if we were lucky.

The vast majority of these same people abide by the rule of law, pay their dues, and work hard to pass on something better for their children. However tough it gets, they do not turn to crime.

Michael Howard and Ray Mallon speak the language of the people. Criminals don't commit crimes from behind bars. Stop making excuses for criminals. - Jim Tague, Bishop Auckland Conservatives.