NATIONAL LOTTERY: Yet again we have the "community fund committee" of the National Lottery handing money over to dubious organisations.

This unelected, unaccountable and totally incompetent group of faceless lunatics has handed over millions of pounds to groups which would not even be considered by any normal-thinking individuals, while turning down deserving causes such as the ex-prisoner of war association, St Dunston's centre for blind ex-servicemen, and many, many more deserving organisations.

The Government expresses disapproval, but continues, in its normal incompetent way, to allow these stupid people to continue their disgraceful practice.

Who appoints these people? And why are there no normal, person-in-the-street, type of individuals on the committee?

Is it any wonder that the sale of Lottery tickets is way down? This is the public expressing their disapproval. - C Ward, Spennymoor.

DEVELOPMENT PLAN

MANY residents of the Cockerton, Denes and Brinkburn areas of Darlington who use the open land between Bellburn Lane and Brinkburn Pond for recreation will be unaware that Persimmon Homes wants to lay a sewer across it.

The main purpose of this sewer is to connect the properties recently built in Hartington Way, Oakfield Lodge, with the main sewer in Bellburn Lane. However, plans detailing the proposed route also show a housing estate set out on this open land.

The line of the sewer is not the most direct for the purpose. It is being built to allow any future developer to easily link new housing into it.

This is planning by stealth and must be resisted. Once the plan is passed pressure will be on Darlington Council to sell the land which would be at the detriment of local residents and their families. - Mike Crawley, Darlington.

GLOBAL ECONOMY

STUART Hill damns successive governments for putting us in competition with such nations as Red China, "where workers are paid peanuts" (HAS, Oct 19).

But I could make the same comments about Britain's membership of the European Union.

If we stay in the eurozone, a British government can no longer prevent the drift of industry southwards and increasingly to the continent. This is already happening, hence the widening North-South divide.

If it goes on, it will be especially disastrous to Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and much of the North and West of England, which have suffered so viciously from relocations/closures already.

Our economy is the fourth largest in the world. It will thrive and prosper outside the crazy conformity of the European Union.

If we withdraw from the EU, our Government will be in a better position to fight heavy unemployment and loss of trade. This is because we will be in receipt of a large Independence Dividend - a scandalous £20bn a year is wasted on our membership of the EU super-state and great, great things can be achieved with cash like that.

At this moment, we should be enjoying North Sea oil, a precious asset possessed by none of the EU countries. Greater freedom to use this oil, and our massive coal reserves (250 years of them), unhampered by any restrictive Brussels' diktats, would strengthen our economy beyond our wildest dreams. - Aled Jones, Bridlington.

MIDDLE EAST

I NOTE that the letter from BM Robinson (HAS, Oct 21) seems to suggest that the Palestinian Arabs cannot complain about having their country invaded by the Israelis because the Israelis have cultivated the land whereas the Palestinians had not.

If this is a good reason to occupy a country, perhaps in 1939 Germany should have invaded Britain as then they would have made our trains run on time. Perhaps the US should occupy us now as I am sure they could make a better job of our industry .

I have visited the Middle East, entered Israel with an open mind and left with a dislike of the way they treat the Palestinians.

Israel is a nation with weapons of mass destruction. It has invaded a neighbouring state and has ignored United Nations resolutions. Ring any bells? - Names and address supplied.

PARKING PROBLEMS

FOLLOWING Sarah Foster's article (Echo, Oct 14) on council parking plans, I would like to comment on the response of Durham County Council's spokesman.

It is true that the council has considered plans for our area twice. However, rather bizarrely, it considered the same plans twice!

This surprised residents in our area of Durham City since many representations had been made to the council to draw attention to flaws in the proposals.

If we had agreed to the scheme, the whole of our area would have been given over to long stay pay & display parking. None of the nearby streets would have spaces set aside for residents. There are no such large blocks of pay and display in residential streets in other areas of the city.

The council has simply stated that, if we try the scheme we will see the benefits. It says that those who were previously against the scheme are now very happy with it and have contacted it to say so.

This conflicts with the evidence, given to us by the council, of its own surveys that show many residents are often unable to park even near to their own homes.

This ignores the numerous complaints of the residents who took the trouble to respond to the council's survey. This makes a mockery of local democracy in action. - Jackie Richardson, Durham City.