STEVE THOBURN

WHEN I heard that Sunderland market trader Steve Thoburn had been found guilty of selling a pound of bananas, I couldn't believe it.

The judge gave his reason for his verdict that ever since Edward Heath took us into the Common Market, as it was then called, 30 years ago, all EU edicts overrule any British law passed in our Parliament.

This was not explained to us at the time, or any time since.

The Sunderland case has brought it home to us that we are losing our 500-year-old rights, for which we fought and won two world wars.

Tony Blair wants us to go fully into the EU so that he can become President of Europe but there is still time to pull out of the EU and go it alone like Norway and Switzerland.

We have an adverse trade balance with Europe, it sells more to us than we sell to it, so it is going to trade with us even if we leave the EU.

The only major party that is not rushing us into the EU is the Conservative party, so if you want to stay British even if you support either the Labour party or the Lib Dems, vote Conservative at the next General Election, whenever it is held. - K Rogers, Hartlepool.

STEVE Thoburn's conviction and the attendant nationwide publicity has probably done irreparable damage to the pro-European cause.

A man regarded by millions as an honest and decent trader has been branded a criminal by a law which inevitably is seen as a foreign law and Westminster is evidently powerless to contest it.

Any referendum on further links with Europe will have to be long delayed before we have forgotten this. - B Jarratt, Caldwell, Richmond.

SURELY, following the failure of the Metric Martyr case at Sunderland, the truth can no longer be disguised. "Euroland rules the United Kingdom, OK!"

So much for the pretentious twaddle spouted by the likes of William Hague ("In Europe not ruled by Europe") and Tony Blair's great and wonderful vision of "Britain's destiny lying in Europe where it has always lain". What a load of utter and ignorant codswallop!

Truly, it has long been said, that a nation gets the sort of government it deserves and now we see the sad and ugly truth, that our wonderfully democratic political system and Mother of Parliaments (which we childishly believed was the best in the world) has all but abrogated complete responsibility to serve the British people and simply handed the job over to Euroland.

We might just as well demolish the Houses of Parliament. And why pay layabouts to simply sit there rubber-stamping decrees from EU Commissioners?

Sack the lot and boycott the coming election, I say, and then start again from scratch. - A Rook, Newcastle.

WHERE are the fuddy-duddy, out-of-touch judges when you need them? When an old age pensioner is beaten to death in their home, the judges seem to slap the criminals on the wrist and tell them how naughty they have been, but that it really wasn't their fault. Most of the public would see that criminal hanged.

Yet, this week, a man offering his customers the choice to buy bananas in pounds or kilos rather than only in kilos, is told by a judge that he is a criminal and perhaps faces a jail sentence if he refuses to pay the fine. Into what kind of country is Europe attempting to mould us?

On reflection, since the majority of the country appears to favour the continued use of either of the weights systems and the judge apparently is a kilo-man, then my faith in the judges' lack of contact with the mainstream view is, in fact, upheld. - A Ruff, Ellingham, Northumberland.

PUBLIC TRANSPORT

AFTER listening to the Government telling us to use public transport and seeing the Arriva bus company making millions of pounds in profit, I feel I must write in disgust at the service operated in my area.

I would like to see Mr Blair or any MP stand waiting half an hour or so in all kinds of weather for a bus which sometimes comes and sometimes does not.

My wife relies on the bus to get her to work in Durham and, but for a sympathetic employer, could possibly have lost her job, thanks to the diabolical bus service.

I understand there is a shortage of bus drivers and that drivers from other areas are being brought in.

I urge Arriva to revise timetables to allow for the build-up of traffic in Durham etc and also to dip into their profits and give the drivers they have a decent wage, thus encouraging them to stay with the company. - Name and address supplied.

PARKING CHARGES

I AM writing to object to the increase in parking fees in Darlington of 70 per cent.

Every town centre shopping area is crying about loss of trade to out-of-town shopping. Darlington councillors' answer is to put up the parking charges 70 per cent from 30p to 50p.

I have shopped in the indoor market for 20 years on a Wednesday. I object to this increase. - Desmond Dobson, Darlington.

TUITION FEES

I WAS very disturbed recently to see Government minister Charles Clarke say on television that the Government should bring in tuition fees for 16 to 18-year-olds studying for A-levels.

The Lib Dem policy is education should be free to everyone. My own view is I will not be content until tuition fees for university students are scrapped altogether.

Grants should be brought back. Housing benefit should be given to students.

Mr Clarke's appearance on television is cause for alarm bells to sound. It would appear a second Labour term in office could be every bit as right wing and Tory as this term has been. - Nigel Boddy, Lib Dem Prospective Parliamentary Candidate, Hartlepool.

RJB MINING

I WISH to pass on to Mr T Haswell, the site manager of RJB Mining, the heartfelt thanks of the people of William Street, Auckland Park.

This man brought in, free of charge, machines to level road chippings that Durham County Council had given to the residents to help repair the road.

The road at William Street has been just a dirt road since the houses were built over 100 years ago. Durham County Coucnil supplied the chippings but would not supply the machines to help lay them down.

Mr Haswell, when asked to help, did so straight away and the next day the repairs were started.

Without the help of RJB Mining and their site manager, the chippings would have been left in a heap or not delivered at all. So, on behalf of the people of William Street and the Dene Valley Partnership, to RJB Mining and their site manager, thank you. - J Archbold, Bishop Auckland.

REGIMENTAL SILVER

I WAS more than interested in your article (Echo, Mar 21) concerning the silver in the Green Howards Regimental Museum.

What I want to know is, when will the Americans return our silver purloined during the Moncks Corner action in South Carolina? The regiment then was called the 19th of June 1781 Foot and was commanded by Lt Col John Coates. They fought off the rebel colonists at Fort Star only to be ambushed by American patriots under General Thomas Sumter and the baggage train was captured, along with the regimental silver and officers' baggage.

In a one truce to bury the dead, some officers' personal possessions were returned but the men's 720 guineas pay and the regimental silver was lost.

This plate - wine flagons and goblets and tableware - must still be around. Easily recognised by its English hallmarks - a laurel wreath, George III's crown or just 19 - someone must have some idea where it is. Rumour has it that some pieces lay in Charleston Museum, but are not on display.

So come on Yanks, how about the chance of a little old Southern hospitality and give us our silver back? - S Rylatt, Middlesbrough.