LOCAL ENVIRONMENT

OVER the past few years the floral displays in Darlington have been a pleasure to see and a credit to the borough council's parks department.

This year, many of the displays are even better than usual, including the display which gained a silver medal at this year's Chelsea Flower Show. However, I am horrified to see the badly painted oil drums which have literally been dumped along the central reservation of St Cuthbert's Way. This is totally out of keeping with the usual standard and at first I thought they had been dumped there as a temporary measure.

Nevertheless, weeks have gone by and they are still there.

If this is intended as a joke then it is in very poor taste and I am sure that I am not the only one who is dismayed at their appearance. I shudder to think what impression visitors to the town must take away with them. - Name and address supplied, Darlington.

TRAVEL abroad or through our very own green and pleasant land and you will see that footpaths are levelled and maintained to a remarkable degree, reflecting a deep pride in the community.

Pathways and walkways are cleared of all weeds, litter and rubbish. Grass verges and playing fields are immaculate and hanging flower baskets are placed at vantage points to brighten people's environment.

Let us now compare Wear Valley's CV with other districts and dwell specifically on Coundon ward.

Flagstones broken and uneven, interwoven with grass and weeds, footpaths overgrown, roads unswept, litter unpicked, grass cutting neglected, not one hanging flower basket strategically placed to alleviate the depressing environment.

The people of Coundon are no longer being fully represented. We have one resident district councillor presently doing the work of three - a most unfair situation indeed and one which needs to he resolved immediately.

Neglect is a creeping paralysing endemic to the Coundon ward. - H Russell, Coundon.

BIG CATS

WITH reference to the article "Evidence is scant - but are the big cats out there?" (Echo, Aug 8) in which you stated that over the years there had been sightings including ones in 1994 at Cloughton and Burniston, near Scarborough.

Late one night at the end of 1999, I was outside our property with our dog in the garden when I observed a domestic cat walking down our road, closely followed by a large black animal. On a closer look it appeared to be a large black cat with a long body and large feet. It was walking as though it was stalking the domestic cat.

I panicked, quickly picked up our dog and went into the house and told my wife. We observed for some time through the window to see if it appeared again but unfortunately it didn't.

We observed on other nights but it did not appear. We did not report these findings to anyone.

I am quite certain that this animal was not a dog or domestic cat. We do have foxes and deer coming down our road, but I am quite certain that this was a large black wild cat. There had been sightings reported in the local evening paper before this. I was sceptical of these sightings until my own experience. - BS Dargie, Newby, Scarborough.

SEX EDUCATION

THE report on Scotland Yard's obscene publications unit's investigation into the controversial sex education booklet aimed at teenagers (Echo, Aug 8) shows just how fine the line is between good sex education and that which gives so much information it tends to incite underage sex.

Here is another example of what sounds like too much 'this is how you do it' and no mention of 'you should not even consider doing it at your age.' - E A Moralee, Billingham.

SMOKING

YOUR regular correspondent Martin Ball from the Freedom of the Right to Enjoy Smoking Tobacco (Forest) must be devastated with the release of the recent figures about smoking deaths having halved due to the reduction of smokers. Tobacco sales are down from £150bn to £80bn; tobacco-related deaths from 80,000 to 40,000.

But since there have been six million tobacco-related deaths in the last 50 years, shouldn't he now stop trying to encourage smokers? In Victorian times smoking opium was regarded as a method of relaxation. Now we know the consequences of that drug.

We also know the consequences of the addiction of nicotine. Will future generations wonder why we watched millions of humans die (far more than in two world wars) and accepted it?

Rich or poor, high or low, it does not matter as far as tobacco is concerned. Even kings of the last century died of smoking disease - Edward VII, George V, Edward VIII and George VI. - E Reynolds, Wheatley Hill.

CAN you tell me what happens to the millions of cigarettes which are confiscated by Customs officials. Do they go up in smoke? - D Hudson, Spennymoor.

DRUGS

DR DAVID Stuart Hill of the World Innovation Council suggests (HAS, Aug 11) improved methods of combating Britain's drugs menace. The root of the malaise lies in modern permissive values, which are irresponsible.

The only answer is to return to more traditional standards with greater emphasis on family life, community spirit and personal self-denial. - Andrew Lightfoot, Bridlington.

NORTH-SOUTH DIVIDE

FURTHER disparities in regional growth rates show that the North-South divide is widening, according to the Oxford Economic Forecasting research.

The divide is not just economic, but in health. The poorest health is experienced in the regions with the lowest wealth. Children are twice as likely to die early in the areas with the greatest poverty.

Most of these areas are in the North, especially cities such as Glasgow, Manchester and Liverpool.

But it is not just geographical. There are variations within regions, as well as between them. The South-East boasts London as one of the richest cities in Europe, but some of the poorest districts exist side by side with some of the wealthiest.

The point is that there is a divide, and that it is getting wider, and that it needs to be tackled. Inequalities make us all poorer. Sharing resources more fairly makes us all healthier. - John Nicholson, Chief Executive, UK Public Health Association.

BRICK TRAIN

I RECENTLY took visitors from the South to see the Brick Train. I was disgusted and ashamed at the state of the ground around the train and immediate area, long grass and weeds, the whole area looked very badly neglected.

Considering the amount of money that was spent to build the train, would it not be more sensible for Darlington Borough Council to landscape the area and make it into a tourist attraction worth visiting instead of the grotty mess it is at present? - Laura Dixon, Darlington.

BRITAIN'S WEALTH

IT WOULD be interesting to know these days how do they assess a nation's wealth. In July, the UK national debt fell to £319.2bn (Echo, Aug 19). With a debt like that how can Britain be classed as being one of the world's richest countries? - D Punchard, Kirkbymoorside.

THE ENGLISH

TO BE English and proud of it is simply not politically correct. By contrast, being proud to be Scottish, Welsh or Irish is fine.

In their anthem, Flower of Scotland, the Scots sing about past victories over the English, but can you imagine the fuss if England adopted a new anthem that glorified bloody victories over the Scots?

Gay Pride, Black Pride, Jewish Pride, Ken Livingstone organising a St Patrick's Day rally for London. There is no legitimate outlet for English pride.

Let's see New Labour make April 23, which is St George's Day, a public holiday. To be proud to be English does not mean being ashamed to be British.

Let Englishmen and women reclaim their emblem, wear it with pride and celebrate their country's many achievements in a positive way, or is Mr Blair scared it would upset the BBC and his Euroland cronies? - B Cain, Wheatley Hill.

RAF SELETAR

I SPENT some of my happiest years with the Royal Air Force based at Seletar in Singapore, one of the most colourful and historic of the RAF overseas bases.

RAF Seletar closed in 1971 but is remembered with affection by members of the RAF Seletar Association which was formed in 1997 to bring together ex-RAF and other service and civilian personnel who served on the station between the years 1928 to 1971.

If any of your readers were stationed at Seletar and wish to contact old friends and acquaintances, the Association may be able to help. - David Taylor, 35 Lower Darnborough Street, Clementhorpe, York YO23 1AR