31/03/06

I am one of the residents who have already endured hell for three weeks now.

Mud everywhere; poor quality and late reinstatements; barriers everywhere; vehicles at every turn and parked anywhere; roads closed at a whim without proper procedure; mums with schoolchildren risking life and limb to complete the slalom of mud, water and disappearing footpaths.

Then there were homes without heating for days, in one case from Friday morning till Saturday evening... all at the coldest time of the winter. And the lies... "just for a couple of hours, mate!"

I will never forget seeing a 94-year-old resident standing at her bedroom window at 11pm waiting for reconnection... after being without heating or cooking since 9am.

(I cannot speak highly enough of the efforts of Northern Gas blue van guys, absolute saviours.)

But the near anonymous subcontractors. Published contact numbers either dont respond or are not interested.

The gas officials mentioned in your news article should be ashamed to be involved and, as a retired assistant engineer and councillor for Middlesbrough, I cannot believe that this has been "planned by Middlesbrough Council".

Certainly, there has been no contact with Brookfield Community Council on this gas-renewal campaign, which in my day would have been a hanging offence. Kenn Johnson, secretary Brookfield Community Council.

CARE HOMES

I AM an avid reader of Hear All Sides and must respond to recent negative publicity about Councillor Ken Manton on the care homes issue. When I was looking for a care home for my late mother I visited several homes, including one earmarked for closure in West Auckland. Eventually I opted for a privately-run home in Bishop Auckland, which was paid for by the county council.

I currently live in a council bungalow and I would never have imagined that I would be an advocate of privately-run care homes, but I am. Surely it is time for Coun Manton to put his case forward. Before condemning him we require definitive answers to the following: How much does it cost the county council per person, per bed for council and private accommodation?

What is the percentage of county council run homes in comparison to private?

Are the council run homes full to capacity?

What is the cost to bring council run homes up to the new legislative standard? S Brown, Bishop Auckland.

HOAX CALLS

WITH the support of the Fire and Rescue Service, BT is raising awareness of this potentially life-threatening problem, which hinders the emergency response time to real emergencies.

The cost of hoax calls drains resources from the Fire and Rescue Service, taking limited funds unnecessarily. One recent report shows that the Fire and Rescue Service respond to nearly 50,000 hoax calls a year, costing 230,000 a day.

We aim to make young people understand what can happen if the fire brigade is called out maliciously. Most young people are unaware that making a hoax call is illegal and the penalties are high a 5,000 fine or six months in prison.

BT and the London Fire Brigade Camden Borough team have produced an educational DVD which is being shown in schools in support of Hoax Calls Awareness Week to help teachers. Code 6 Another Hoax Call is designed to target eight to 14-year-olds. To view further details visit www.bt.com/hoaxcalls.

Encouraging young people to understand the dangers of making false calls to the Fire and Rescue Service will hopefully help to reduce this time-demanding burden that the emergency services face day in, day out.

Help us stamp out hoax calls. Sir Graham Meldrum, head of Her Majestys Fire Service Inspectorate.

UNHAPPY RESIDENTS

DOES Laura Saunders-Jerron (Echo, Mar 17) know the Pierremont Crescent area of Darlington?

I should think that quite a few residents in the area would take exception to it being called "an area that is particularly unpleasant and full of unpleasant people".

That is, if your report is accurate. Lilian Stanley, Darlington.

DAVID CAMERON

NEVER has the hypocrisy of the Labour Party been more evident.

Their childish attempts of slapping down David Cameron as he modernises the Conservatives show how desperate they have become. The violent and irrelevant John Prescott harks back to the days of class war by sneering at Camerons "privileged" upbringing and labels him a "chameleon" for changing party policy. Didnt ex-CND supporter and public school boy Tony Blair do the same thing in 1994 with "New Labour"?

The power hungry Chancellor dismisses Cameron as "all PR" and "without substance". Has he forgotten when that Labour had control freak Alistair Campbell as a minister for propaganda and twice disgraced Peter Mandelson as a chief of staff? Their legacy of spin still exists. Prime Minister Cameron will be a welcome change, hes more grown up about politics for a start. Des More, Darlington.

AIRPORT NAME

RE Christopher Wardells airport name (HAS, Mar 25), in which he is yet again whingeing about the name change at Durham Tees Valley Airport. I should point out to him that the airport is now owned by Peel Airports and not the local councils as he suggests in his letter. The new owners thought that a new image should be presented in respect of the airport and are now investing heavily in improving the facilities at the airport.

The name change was one of these improvements and has been welcomed by many. Mr Wardell, however, is one of the few who cannot or will not accept this.

The airport is about to embark on its busiest summer yet, so please get behind it and give it your support. Philip Wells, Shildon.

HEARING SCREENING

The National Deaf Childrens Society (NDCS) wants to let all parents-to-be know about newborn hearing screening.

From this month, all babies in England will be screened for hearing problems within a few days of birth.

Three babies are born deaf every day and screening means the average age a childs deafness is identified will fall from around three years old to three months.

It involves a simple, quick and painless test, which identifies any problems, allowing information and support to be offered as soon as possible.

If parents have any concerns about their childs hearing they can contact the NDCS Freephone Helpline on 0808 800 8880 (voice and text) open from 10am to 5pm Monday to Friday or email helpline@ndcs.org.uk Free information is also available from www.ndcs.org.uk Susan Daniels, NDCS Chief Executive.