25/01/06

I am not a prude but I do believe in fair play. So how is it that a chap who is walking the country with his bits and bobs on show is frequently arrested and charged, yet the aforementioned group are allowed to wander the banks of the Tyne willy-nilly?

I suppose it's all to do with 'art' or could it be safety in numbers? It's not as if the police need to issue photofits, the clues are there for all to see. The law should be applied fairly, both events were in a public place. - Charles Young, Thornaby-on-Tees.

LOST COMMUNITY

I WAS deeply moved by Colin Dent's evocation of the lost community of Happyland, whose last few traces appear doomed by the stony heap of an opencast scheme (HAS, Jan 20).

Between them, opencasting and intensive farming - the two of which often go together - have been responsible for more damage to the fair face of Mother England than any other factor. And you would have thought that, by now, their pernicious and reprehensible character would have penetrated even the thickest of skulls in Whitehall. But clearly not, as the defacement goes on.

As for the miles of former opencast sites we have round here, they could, at minimal cost, be turned into something like normal countryside, with a natural ecosystem as well as economic and amenity potential.

This would, however, require sufficient levels of interest and basic technical competence and, as I have indicated, such qualities are conspicuous by their absence. - Hugh Pender, Darlington.

FEETHAMS

RE the demolition of Feethams. This is going to be a very sad time for the town as it is losing some of its history. But, as the buildings and grounds have been allowed to fall into such a terrible condition, then it can only be a good thing.

It does say in the contract of the club that the premises should always be used for some type of sport, and I agree with that.

I believe that Darlington Football Club has the following choices:

1. To improve the condition of the pitch and build a new training centre for Darlington Football Club, whose players presently use Newcastle United's old training facilities at Durham. This training headquarters could also be used by all the schools in the area, so they could benefit.

2. The other option would be for Feethams to turn itself into a sport complex similar to the Dolphin Centre, where everyone would benefit from the sports facilities.

This sports complex should also include meeting rooms and facilities for private parties. Darlington Mind and Mental Health Matters have both really missed being able to throw their annual Christmas parties at the old Feethams ground since the premises closed down. - Margaret Greenhalgh, Darlington.

TEARAWAY CHILD

HOW could Elaine Webb say her son started shoplifting at an age when the law could not do anything with him (Echo, Jan 19)?

Was it not her job to stop him, so he would not be where he is today?

After all, she gave birth to him. It is her job to see who his friends are. The fact he was getting drunk at such a young age means she is every bit as bad as her son, if not worse.

I say good for Wear Valley District Council. Hopefully, other parents of wayward kids may start to put their foot down.

What would she say if some out of control child threw stones at her disabled mother or swore at her, or does she not think of that?

Having a poster put up with her son's photo on it may make her bring up her other children better. - Name and address supplied.

WHY do parents of youngsters given Asbos always say that their children are 'easily led'?

Surely if they knew where the children were every night they could discipline them properly and not just say 'boys will be boys' or 'they're just kids for goodness sake'.

It doesn't matter where you live, there are gangs of young people (boys and girls) hanging around the streets at night.

Let's give the parents of disruptive children some punishment as well, then maybe a lot of the trouble would stop. - Mrs E Thompson, Crook.

PROSTITUTION

IN reply to Pam Springer (HAS, Jan 19), I was not justifying or defending prostitution. I was defending prostitutes - against, among other things, the ignorant prejudice of people like her and Ray Mallon.

Prostitutes are not, on the whole, bad people. Most of them, poor lasses, have never had a chance. Life has dealt them a very raw deal and we owe them an obligation of protection, not punishment.

We can only do this by legalising the trade and limiting it to properly registered, meticulously maintained brothels.

There the girls would at least be relatively safe and there too, hopefully, the process can begin of reclaiming them from their way of life, especially by tackling the addictions which are so often at the root of the problem.

As for Pam Springer's reference to the Bible, she should read it herself because there she will find that Jesus went out of his way to welcome and comfort prostitutes and that his closest friend, Mary Magdalene, was herself an ex-prostitute. - T Kelly, Crook.

SLAVERY

I HAVE noticed that the Holocaust is to be remembered on Holocaust Memorial Day.

I think it is right to remember this dreadful act of genocide.

However, as a slave descendant, I believe it would be equally right to remember the millions of black slaves who lost their lives in transportation and on the plantations. Do they, too, warrant a memorial?

Jewish survivors can trace their ancestry and speak their own language. I, sadly, can do neither. - H Douglas, Darlington.

IN A HOLE

FOR many months now the residents of the market town of Crook have endured the haunting sound of excavators ripping up tarmac.

We have gazed in wonder at the sheer number of bright lights which appear on almost every street. Indeed, some do call Crook the 'Blackpool of the North' with bus trips expected soon from St Anne's.

While most residents will accept that the work required to the water system is important, that it is good that the water board is looking at Crook's future, many will wonder just why it is that the various contractors encamped throughout the town don't appear to be actually finishing anything.

Holes are dug then covered with steel plate, roads are turned into one-way systems with a couple of days' notice, the road cleaning appears to leave more mud on the tarmac and nothing appears to get finished.

They start, dig, move off and dig somewhere else.

Has Crook become the 'hole' storage depot for the county?

We know the work needs to be done, but please, please get something finished and soon before we all have to start selling kiss me quick hats and saucy 'hole joke' postcards. - Name and address supplied.