02/03/06

Regular readers (and every resident in Crook) will know that the water company and their contractors, and now sub-contractors, continue to rain chaos upon almost every road in and around our town.

We are now getting so despondent with the situation that residents are looking for any situation to make them smile about just what's going on and that's getting more difficult with each passing each week.

The actual Tarmac road surfaces have been hacked to bits - the amount of mud on the roads gets worse each day - holes on completed work have been filled in but not finished, so that the filling comes lose and the hole reappears.

During this half term week equipment, excavators etc, have not been fenced in so that they become climbing frames for children.

The lack of correct information being passed on to residents beggars belief.

At West Road the residents were informed that their water would be off for 15 hours - some homes were without water for 40.

Because of the sets of traffic lights, frustrated motorists have been using the back of one of the terraces and it is in one of these back lanes that one wheelie bin has been hit five times by passing cars. - Name and address supplied.

JUSTICE SYSTEM

OUR justice system continues to astonish me. A man who drove away leaving a four-year-old child dying in the road where he had struck her with his uninsured, unroadworthy car, is given a derisory sentence of four years, serving a mere two before release and a further chance to drive at maniacal speeds after committing crimes in Barnard Castle (Echo, Feb 18).

It has been suggested the robbers who gained £53m after the recent raid may be given at least 20 years in jail.

Reminiscent of the Great Train Robbery, where the perpetrators were given fairly savage sentences, indeed, we have one dying in jail today, Ronnie Biggs, who should, in the name of humanity, be released.

Does our society really value money above human life? - Chris Ramshaw, Bishop Auckland.

IT is beyond belief that criminals, however, sophisticated, were able to steal such a huge sum of cash.

Surely it should have been kept in a thick steel vault with a time lock? It should have had a secret alarm set to alert the local police office when there was unauthorised entry.

How did the thieves know there were no such safety devices?

It seems to me there was inside information available which, hopefully, the police will uncover and bring the culprits to justice. - Hugh Pender, Darlington.

Thornaby

HOW I agree with the letters from a D Browne and D Robinson, of Thornaby (HAS, Feb 9).

Firstly, yes those found guilty in sacking a town clerk or anyone for political purposes should foot the bill and be removed from office.

Secondly, the comments about the Harold Wilson sports ground and preference given to a private development by Stockton Borough over a facility owned by them (and put in their trust for the people of Thornaby to use and enjoy at an affordable price to all) is nothing short of disgraceful.

Not only should the ward councillors responsible resign, I would say the leader of Stockton Council and even the chief officer must resign if this is true that ratepayers' money has been used in any way shape or form to support private enterprise over publicly owned facilities. - P Watson, Thornaby.

OLDER GENERATION

I SUSPECT many, like myself, watched the unfolding of the story of possible closure of 12 Durham County Council older persons' housing complexes in County Durham.

The officers of the county council had obviously fulfilled the role they are paid to do: to give recommendations that will balance books the best way they can. Then we had the admirable, but so sorry, television viewing of our older generation finding it necessary to demonstrate outside County Hall to try to save their homes.

What would our parents have made of it all? It was with so much pride they fought to have this care service in our communities. The need for help for our older generation and to their children, who so very often cannot give the expert care needed no matter how much they want to, has not diminished. It has just become more necessary.

However, the next stage came along and it was amazing - the decision for the homes to remain open was made by our county councillors by a single vote. Congratulations to those councillors who remembered the role for which they were elected - that huge part they can play in helping to make peoples' lives as comfortable as possible and, when dealing with any part of our vulnerable society, money must not be allowed to be the deciding factor.

Care in the home is wonderful for some but, unfortunately, for so many others it is not the answer and leads to more isolation, loneliness and unhappiness - we owe our older generation more than that.

Party politics does not surely come into this, it is more how do we care for people, remembering, of course, that old age comes to most. - B Sheppard, Ferryhill.

COUNCIL TAX

I HAVE a question and if a anyone can answer I would be grateful.

Why does the council tax go up every year by so much? Everywhere you go now, on whatever piece of spare land, there are lots of new houses being built and nearly every one is occupied.

I imagine they would be paying tax in category C and D, which is the highest rate, so why do we have to pay more every year? - J Bowlam, Durham.

RAF ST EVAL (1939-1959)

MORE than 1,000 aircrew and ground staff lost their lives at RAF St Eval in Cornwall between 1939 and 1959 whilst the station was operational.

In April, 2005 an historic ceremony took place, unveiling a granite memorial at the gateway to St Uvelus Church, St Eval. Whilst not much remains of the airfield today, it was one of the largest operational stations during the Second World War.

All ranks from the RAF, WAAF and WRAF, or next of kin, who served at RAF St Eval are invited to join the RAF St Eval Coastal Command Association.

The association has two reunions a year (April and October) and newsletters are produced in January and July.

Information about the association is available from Jude Durant, (01332) 572948 or Fred Abbott, (01255) 434424. - Jude Durant, RAF St Eval, CC Association.