09/11/05

Clearly the restriction of their sale to the over 18s is failing to keep them out of the hands of the totally irresponsible.

The situation during October and November has been getting worse for years and is now, in my view, out of hand. I am thinking not only of the disturbance to people, but to pets, who are absolutely terrified by the bangs.

It is not that I am against traditional celebrations - far from it. When it was a traditional celebration, confined to November 5, with traditional fireworks, it was a bit of harmless fun that everybody could enjoy. Now it is an anti-social menace.

For years the police and fire service have been calling for the restriction of firework activities to properly organised official displays. How much longer before politicians take notice? - T Kelly, Crook.

DEPORTATION THREAT

YOUR report on war hero Noel Bevan, who now faces deportation for overstaying his welcome (Echo, Nov 4) beggars belief.

Born in New Zealand, 84-year-old Mr Bevan fought with us in the Second World War. He then settled in North-East England where he married and raised three children.

Mr Bevan has lived here for 60 years and I believe he has earned the right to stay. Perhaps if he had arrived secreted on a lorry with six kids, no money and no prospects, he would have been welcomed with open arms.

There is no justification, morally or politically for deporting Mr Bevan. - Sue Brown, Darlington.

HUNTING SEASON

THIS weekend saw the start of the 2005/06 hunting season. Thousands of people were out supporting their local hunts in the North of England. Hunts have pledged to go out and hunt within the law this season, to retain the infrastructure of hunts and hunting, and to show that the Hunting Act will not stand the test of time.

Where possible, they are also continuing to provide an invaluable pest control service to the farming community. The Hunting Act benefits no-one, indeed it has adverse consequences for animal welfare and is an unjustified attack on a way of life, but to many it looks, smells and sounds like hunting before February 18, 2005.

Animal rights extremists have stated their intention of continuing to 'sabotage' hunts. They will continue to show no respect for the law themselves, trespassing and harassing those who are going about their legal business and aggressively filming law-abiding families and their children.

In their desperation to secure a prosecution under the Hunting Act 2004, anti-hunt vigilantes - or "hunt monitors" as they call themselves - are wasting valuable and already overstretched police resources by making unfounded allegations against hunts.

Anti-hunting organisations and hunt saboteurs should now stop their attacks on the rural community, understand that hunts intend to act within the law until this ridiculous and badly-drafted legislation is overturned, and stop causing unnecessary trouble in rural areas. - Richard Dodd, North of England Regional Director, The Countryside Alliance.

LOOK WEST

IS it not possible to consider the joining of County Durham with Cumbria, our neighbours to the west?

Our rural western part of the county joins the rural land of Cumbria. It could afford better policing of these areas by combined police.

I think we have a lot in common with the Cumbrians. The language is very similar to that of Cumbria as you travel west.

Durham County would lose no more land, Northumberland is large enough and Teesside, Middlesbrough and Cleveland could join North Yorkshire.

The natural boundary of Durham is the Tees and the Tyne and I have a fear that if the present suggestion is taken on then Newcastle will rule the roost. Durham County will eventually cease to exist. - H Geddes, Durham.

SMOKING BAN

RE the letter from M Harrison (HAS, Nov 4). Of course we live in a democracy and not a dictatorship, so why not have a vote as to whether smoking should be allowed in public places. Since smokers are a minority, the outcome is obvious.

To try and let smokers go on killing others by passive smoking by saying that car fumes are dangerous is nonsense. How many cars are there in shops, offices, pubs etc, all with their engines running, compared to smokers? Is the point made that people who smoke do not drive cars themselves?

If he will not go into public places where smoking is banned, it does not mean the loss of jobs because plenty of non-smokers will then go there.

This is not a suggestion, because countries that have banned smoking in public have found that more customers are welcomed.

The laws in Britain are going to be ridiculous. Smoking banned in public in Northern Ireland and Scotland, but not in England and a Scottish MP voting against total ban in England.

The relations of those who have died from passive smoking and those who have cancer due to it should be able to take the tobacco companies to court and claim compensation from them. After all, it is the products of their factories which have caused their illnesses or deaths.

The tobacco companies can put up the cost of cigarettes as smokers will pay anything for their addiction and they will then be compensating the victims of their passive smoking.

And Dennis Clark (HAS, Oct 29) is quite right. People should be allowed to do what they want regarding smoking, but if they have killed someone with passive smoking they should then be taken to court and charged with murder.

Since he has smoked 40 a day, is he really innocent of inflicting some other people with cancer?

A visit to a nearby hospital ward will let uncaring smokers see just what they have done to dying non-smokers. - E Reynolds, Wheatley Hill.

QUEEN MARY

I AM writing a sequel to my book, The Titanic Diaries called The Queen Mary Chronicles and would very much like to hear from anyone who worked or travelled aboard the old Queen Mary from the 1930s to the 1960s.

Were you lucky enough to be a passenger on the Queen Mary's maiden voyage? Was the Queen Mary your ship of preference for making the Atlantic crossing during her heyday in the 1930s, late 1940s and through the golden years of the 1950s?

Perhaps you were part of the crew, a steward, a boot boy or a lift operator. Maybe you looked after children in the nursery or were a pool attendant?

During the Second World War did you travel aboard the Queen Mary when she was a troop ship? When hostilities had ended were you a war bride heading off on the Queen Mary to a new life?

Whatever your story I would love to hear from you so that I can include it in my book. - Anthony Cunningham, 2 Windsor Place, Windsor Street, Chertsey, Surrey KT16 8AQ.