WITH Bonfire Night fast approaching I would like to share some safety tips with dog owners.

Most dogs are very scared of fireworks but there are simple steps you can take to make sure this year is as stress free as possible for your canine friend.

If you are going to a display leave your dog at home and make sure all windows and doors are firmly locked so he can't escape.

Walk your dog during the afternoon, so that you don't have to take him out at night. Plenty of exercise will tire him so he is more likely to sleep through the noise.

Make a safe hiding place for your dog, perhaps under a table with a sheet draped over it, or in a corner, so that he feels secure. Put the radio or TV on as this helps to mask the noise outside.

If you take your dog for a walk, please make sure he is wearing an identity disc or is microchipped. Some dogs can slip their leash and run when they are scared. At this time of year we take in more lost dogs than usual.

It is important to act normally before you go out. Make sure your dog is comfortable but don't alarm him with undue fuss. - Paul DeVile, Veterinary Director, National Canine Defence League.

CELEBRITY BOOKS

I COULDN'T agree more with Sharon Griffiths about the so-called celebrities cashing in on their sordid love affairs by writing books (Echo, Oct 16).

Clearly there are many ghost writers earning themselves a healthy living at present. These shadowy wordsmiths, of course, know how to phrase things to titillate the reader.

Theirs is the task of ensuring that something that was probably uninteresting, even dull, reads as a startling, sexy revelation. It makes you wonder how much truth there really is in these books. - EA Moralee, Billingham.

DEMOLITION PLAN

I READ with dismay (Echo, Oct 14) about the houses which have to be demolished on St Andrew's estate, Bishop Auckland.

I cannot understand why the Government cannot step in and help these people who must be very stressed and worried.

The Government seems to be very keen in giving millions of pounds to help other countries and helping companies who are transferring their operations abroad.

While Tony Blair is standing by America in the event of war which would cost tens of millions surely he could help families next to his own constituency.

I also do not understand how Wear Valley District Council claims it did not know what these houses were made of when they were built some 40 years ago.

So come on Mr Blair, show a bit of sympathy to these people who voted Labour in the last election for you to be Prime Minister.

In certain situations, as above, I am sure these people can be helped without having to fight for their rights every day. - A Clarke, Bishop Auckland.

RADIO FOUR

WHEN I listen to Radio 4 I am appreciative that radio broadcasting has maintained its standards over the years.

This is in contrast to television whose programme quality has dropped significantly. It is important that we have a quality radio service, not least because of the influence it can exert.

I grew up in the 1950s in the days of the Home Service and I can still remember some of the radio broadcasts describing the events of that decade.

The morning that they took Derek Bentley to the gallows convinced me that hanging was not a civilised option. When the Viet-Minh defeated the French at Dien-Bien-Phu to mark the end of French rule in Indo-China I became aware of the world outside of Europe.

It was not only in news events reporting that radio broadcasting excelled. Dylan Thomas's Under Milk Wood was broadcast in 1954 and the very originality of the play encouraged me to read and love literature.

A life-long love of sport and particularly cricket, was engendered by the voice of Brian Johnston reporting from Australia. How you looked forward to hearing his word pictures of the day's play, it was as though the Australian summer had entered your cold midwinter kitchen.

I've many reasons to be grateful to the radio service. It has been an education and friend over many years. - Derek Parker, Bishop Auckland.

WAR ON IRAQ

PRESIDENT Bush displays breathtaking double standards in his comments on Iraq.

He says Iraq has flouted UN resolutions for 11 years - so has Israel. He says Iraq will not allow UN people into Iraq because they have something to hide. Israel would now allow the UN into the Jennin refugee camp - did they have something to hide?

Why should we respect a man so intellectually feeble?

It appears that Tony Blair is so mesmerised by Mr Bush that he simply fails to realise how dangerous the situation is for our country. - Hugh Pender, Darlington.

INDUSTRIAL POLICY

I HAVE been a casualty of the layoffs in the construction industry in the recession of the mid and late 1980s.

But in response to Jim Tague (HAS, Oct 14), I wonder if Mrs Thatcher and Norman Tebbit in the years between 1980-4 listened to the cries of despair from 2,000 steelworkers at Consett and 2,500 railworkers from Shildon.

In those bleak years we were not represented or helped by a regional and government task force as happens now under a Labour government.

No, we were told to "get on our bikes" and spend our redundancy money, which was a pittance of one week's pay for every year worked.

So please, Mr Tague, when you mention the new technology jobs that are going solely to Cambridge and the M4 belt, remember that in the 1980s Thatcher's government encouraged industry and new technology to relocate to the affluent south by starving the North-East of funds and training. - S Hadden, Coundon.