TAXI DRIVERS: I HAVE always defended Darlington taxi drivers over the rules and regulations that have been set up for them by the local council, demanding that taxis are a certain shade of red and the like.

However, I do have one complaint to make about the local taxi drivers who frequent the rank on Victoria Road on a Sunday, when hordes of squaddies come to town to continue on their journey to Catterick.

Trying to drive on Victoria Road on the Sabbath is nothing but hell, with many taxis using up every single parking space in the hope of landing a fare to the Army camp.

I have, on many occasions, got in to a taxi from this rank on a Sunday, only to be snarled at and made unwelcome by some of the drivers as I only required a lift to local parts of Darlington.

While I can understand that the drivers want longer fares to make more money, they should not bite the hands of Darlingtonians who also require a lift home on a Sunday, as it is us who line their pockets each day before the squaddies land in town. - Christopher Wardell, Darlington.

CRICKET VICTORY

THERE has been some discussion recently about the award of the MBE to the England cricket team and the lack of recognition to Liverpool for their great victory in the European Cup.

I was pleased that it was thought fitting to honour the England cricket team after their success in regaining the Ashes. It was so rewarding to experience the joy of victory rather than suffer the usual agony of defeat.

Every cricket fan will be only too aware of the heartbreak that we all go through when Australia defeats England at cricket. So for lifting that particular gloom, an award of an MBE is a small price to pay.

The unexpected England victory should not be under valued. They beat a great Australian team, one of the finest to visit our shores. Moreover, they established the Ashes series as a serious contest once more.

We can now speak of the endeavours of Flintoff and Vaughan alongside the exploits of Botham and Laker.

Sports lovers who had never taken any interest in cricket were drawn into the contest. They saw a gladiatorial match played to the death that only rarely transgressed the boundaries of good sportsmanship.

The victory of Liverpool was a fantastic achievement, but not as great as the Ashes success.

Liverpool's victory will be remembered forever, but only among Liverpool supporters. - Derek Parker, Bishop Auckland.

THE BIG THREE

THE Echo asks 'where did it all go horribly wrong for the North-East big three? (Sportsmail, Jan 21).

It went wrong when the chairmen and directors threw millions of pounds at their managers, both past and present, and yes, the ghosts of Reid, Robson and Wilkinson should take their share of the blame without thought for the debt they created and the obscenely overpaid, under-performing headless chickens they now have on contract for years to come.

McCarthy has more chance of winning the Irish lottery than keeping the Mackems up.

McClaren should have resigned after taking two attempts to dump non-league Nuneaton Borough out of the cup.

Souness will finish in the bottom half of the Premiership, yet as the top North-East team, a hollow victory that will probably be awarded with the sack.

Freddy Shepherd, like most chairmen, swings his axe more than an abattoir butcher on overtime.

Contrast their plight with Wigan and West Ham - both promoted at the same time as sad Sunderland. Decent managers, boards that have not opened the cheque books too far and exciting teams full of honest professionals that get results and are in the comfort of the top half of the League. I rest my case. - Joe Welthorpe, North Ormesby.

EURO UNION

THERE is a general lack of understanding of the work of the European Union political system. Take the following situation.

Most people are unaware of the problems that the elderly and handicapped have when travelling by air but, given that understanding, they say that something should be done about the deplorable way people have often been treated.

In the main, air travel means international travel, which means that only the tip of the problem would be addressed if one country adopted regulations that dealt with the problem.

In fact, the European Parliament adopted new regulations almost unanimously in December last year, which will improve the rights of disabled people, and those with reduced mobility when travelling by air.

Examples of the improvements are that they may not be refused transport on the grounds of their disability or mobility and assistance must be given to them free of charge.

The ready agreement within the European political system means that the regulations will be formally accepted by the end of the year.

It is clear from conversations that knowledge of the beneficial functions of EU does not figure in the lives of the majority of people. It is much like the hospital situation: people do not take an interest until they require the service. We do not hear calls to scrap that service but there are many voices saying that the EU has had its day and that we should come out of it.

Every thinking person understands that no human organisation is perfect and that the ever present task is to bring about improvements. In the case of the EU, what has been described above is being put into operation relatively quickly. Other common issues take a longer time. We need to understand the issues and patiently solve the problems. - Bill Morehead, Darlington

SPEED CAMERAS

BESIDES the fraternity of determined speeders, the major resentment against speed cameras comes perhaps from those who feel they have been prosecuted simply for keeping up with the traffic flow and conforming to the norms of behaviour set by their peers.

One can argue that the law is the law even when everyone is breaking it, but this soon loses moral legitimacy and enforcement becomes no more than random persecution.

I suggest it might be acceptable to have more cameras, including concealed ones, in return for a policy of prosecuting only those who are in the fastest ten per cent at a particular place and within an appropriate time interval. This would be very different from allowing a margin above the limit, which would mean a de facto raising of the limits. As faster drivers strive to drop out of top ten per cent, or simply lose their licences, all drivers would be pushed back down to the limit.

We would in effect, be herding drivers in the desired direction starting with the outliers, which is a more psychologically effective approach than simply lashing out at everyone. No-one would be able to claim they were punished just for doing the same as all the rest. - John Riseley, Harrogate.