Letters

STEPHEN Thoburn, the Metric Martyr, may have lost his case in court, but his courageous stand has been noticed and admired by millions of people around the world.

It has drawn attention to the ridiculous situation we now find ourselves in, namely that Europe can overrule our own laws and freedoms, even ones that have no effect on Europe or any other nation and are, frankly, none of Europe's business.

We had better make the most of the coming General Election. If the pro-Europeans have their way, it could well be our last.

What will be the point of electing a government to sit at Westminster if it has no power except to rubber stamp what Europe dictates? - EA Moralee, Billingham.

THERE was an outpouring of sentiment (HAS, Apr 15) regarding Stephen Thoburn and his contretemps with the law. Plenty of letters and not one of them mentions the essential issues.

Firstly, the criminal status of Mr Thoburn is akin to that of a motorist convicted of doing 60mph on an open road. I don't think he needs worry about it.

Like Mr Thoburn, I too am a retailer selling, among other things, bananas. Unlike Mr Thoburn, when the law regarding metric weights came into effect I, along with 100,000 or so other retailers, bought a metric pricing scale (£400) and stayed within the law.

Now, although I weigh the product in kilos, neither Steve nor I sell by weight, we sell by price. Our customers bring the bananas they choose up to the counter and we charge the price indicated on the scale. It makes not one iota of difference to the price whether we weigh in kilos or lbs

Metrication is not a recent innovation, it was first recommended in Parliament in 1868 or thereabouts! I am not hostile to Steve, but I do feel that he has been badly advised on this matter. - Alan Benn, Bedale.

WILLINGTON

IN February 2000, the town of Willington was dealt a devastating blow when Barclays announced that the local branch would be closing. Immediately the protests died down and it was apparent that there was no hope of saving the branch, Willington Community Partnership entered into discussions with Barclays' board of directors and the building was purchased by the Partnership.

The building's new use will be as a Community Resource Centre, offering functions aimed at all sectors of the population.

The Partnership feels that the town, with its considerable social economic and environmental problems, needs a vote of confidence and that this can be achieved by providing this multi-functional centre to be the focal point for community services, social and economic development and business support. Money for the purchase and refurbishment of the building has been secured from the Government's Rural Development Programme, Barclays plc, Northern Rock Foundation and the National Lottery Awards for All. Legal services have been donated by Hewitts, Solicitors of Bishop Auckland, and support from the officers and a Community Fund grant obtained from Wear Valley District Council.

Major partners in the venture are Bishop Auckland College and Durham Constabulary.

It is important that the Willington people realise that the building belongs to the Partnership and is for the use of local people. It is not owned by the council and any input it makes will be as one of the agencies providing services from the premises.

A lot of hard work has gone into securing this building and the partnership hopes that the new shop front will contribute to the regeneration of the High Street, funded by SRB, which is to begin later this year. - B Myers, Chairman of Willington Community Partnership.

BANK HOLIDAY

THE Government is considering having an extra Bank Holiday, since this country has the least in Europe, and many suggestions have been put forward as to what it should be called.

Well, the 11th day of the 11th month was when one used to respect those who died in the Great War (to end all wars) and it was moved to the nearest Sunday, so why not make the next Bank Holiday a remembrance of the last war?

The Battle of Britain saved this country from Germany domination and the Allies were able to invade the Continent from here. It is doubtful if the Americans would have been able to attack from across the Atlantic.

Have any Echo readers any other suggestions? - E Reynolds, Wheatley Hill.

INSIDE TIME

I REFER to your article (Echo, Apr 7) in which you claim that the clues in the crossword in the last issue of Inside Time "featured dozen of clues about sex crimes, violence and drug abuse".

Your readers may wish to know that the crossword was sent to us by an education department of a prison and some of the clues - not dozens - were indeed related to drugs and addiction, which could be viewed as poor taste or as educational, depending on your point of view. Only one of the 124 clues - which we failed to spot - related to sexual violence, a subject featured at every opportunity by the media.

As you say, our newspaper goes only to prisoners. The Northern Echo, on the other hand, goes to homes with children and you had no hesitation in publishing some of the clues. - Eric McGraw, Managing Editor, Inside Time, the national newspaper for prisoners.

POLICING

THERE are reports of children running riot and causing damage on estates near Tony Blair's token North-East house. This happens across the county.

All we ever hear from Durham Constabulary is that they do not have the resources, yet a dedicated team of 32 officers armed with the latest in weaponry are protecting a house which is only occupied when Mr Blair feels it is necessary to show his face in the area.

Durham Constabulary should get its priorities right and begin to protect the people who live in the county. - RM Kelly, Ouston, Chester-le-Street.