LOCAL GOVERNMENT: YOU report that Durham County Council is concerned about the county's loss of identity should it be replaced by three unitary authorities.

I submit that this concern is 35 years too late. The dismemberment of County Durham began in 1968 when Stockton and Billingham were ceded to Teesside.

It continued in 1974 and was resumed in 1997 with the loss of Darlington. It could be that the disappearance of Durham County Council will restore the real 'Land of the Prince Bishops', rather than the rump which is now claimed as such. - Peter W Elliott, Eaglescliffe.

FLY TIPPING

WHILST travelling around the county it is refreshing to see that a real effort is being made by both council workers and volunteers to clean up the rubbish dumped, almost anywhere, by inconsiderate slobs.

Prosecutions are hard to bring due to the weight of evidence needed for them to succeed. When someone is caught the penalties imposed are laughable.

I refer particularly to a recent case at Chester-le-Street Magistrates Court when someone was convicted of dumping six bin liners of domestic waste. The penalty, a fine of £26.83 (unless it was a misprint) and £100 costs.

The magistrates who imposed this ludicrous penalty could be the answer to the Government's landfill problem. Put them in charge and encourage people to dump all their rubbish anywhere they like, hopefully in their garden. - Brian Oram, Peterlee.

DOG SHOW

SO the Darlington Dog Show is on again and, as usual, in the car park area there will be the usual array of discarded poop bags (it's too far to walk to the one disposal area) and not an environmental officer to be seen to give out fines as they do to residents who live there all year.

Whilst we are on the subject, in the Denes there are signs warning of £50 for dog mess, £500 if off the lead, but most days there is an array of bottles, cans etc left by our local youths in a circle round park benches from activities the night before only feet away from litter bins.

Nothing is done about that! - AR Tatman, Darlington.

HUNTING

HOW ironic that the Countryside Alliance should choose a nurse as the face of its latest poster campaign to promote hunting.

A MORI poll of people taking part in the Countryside Alliance march in September 2002 revealed that only two per cent of marchers thought that health care and hospitals should be the main priority issue for the Countryside Alliance, while foxhunting got a quarter of the votes.

It seems the height of hypocrisy to exploit the nursing profession in this way, when the only motive is to attack those who want an end to the cruelty of hunting with dogs.

It is the hunters who are guilty of double standards. They value the nurse because she is a hunter, they do not value the hunter because she is a nurse. - Lis Key, International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW), London.

IRAQ

I BACKED the war against Saddam Hussein to the hilt, but I did assume - reasonably, I think - that the Allies would have ready an effective plan for the post-war administration of Iraq and, more especially, for the urgent restoration of vital services.

The evident absence of such a plan at either the Pentagon or the MoD is almost breathtaking in its stupidity.

I do recall indicating the possibility of a situation like the present one in Iraq as a worse case scenario and advising the Allied commanders how to deal with it.

So to repeat, in brief: you must at all costs recapture the goodwill of the civilian population, which should not be insurmountably difficult, and you must exploit to the full your intelligence opportunities, which will be abundant. Carry on as you are doing and you are guaranteed one destination: bloody futility. - T Kelly, Crook.

EDUCATION

THE Ofsted Report on children not being prepared for school (Echo, Sept 1) highlights what is perhaps a lack of understanding by many, especially some parents, as to what skills a child needs to be able to thrive at school.

Imagine a teacher with 20, 30 or more children in the class who can't dress themselves.

PE lessons would be taken up with fastening shoelaces, buckles, buttons, putting on clothes etc, leaving no time for the actual lesson.

Imagine dinner ladies having to help dozens of hungry little ones to hit their mouths when they use a knife, fork and spoon for the first time.

Imagine a helper or teacher having to clean up after numerous children fail to cope with going to the toilet properly.

Most important of all, imagine a teacher trying to teach, when children don't know how to sit quietly, listen, learn and do as they are told.

It's the basic skills of communication and general behaviour, as the report says, that are the most important for a level starting point.

Being a working mother, single parent etc, can be too easy an excuse for failing to give the attention needed to pre-school children.

Teaching the simple basics of speaking clearly and coping with everyday physical things should not be beyond even the busiest person's reach.

Do it right in the early years or suffer the consequences later. - EA Moralee, Billingham.