LAST year, Durham County Council took over the functions of district councils, but on current evidence it’s not performing them very well.

I’m talking about the council’s lamentable response – in terms of treating roads and pavements – to the present adverse weather.

Possibly it is the worst winter weather we have had in 30 years, but it’s no worse than what we used to take as a matter of course in earlier times.

In fact, in comparison with three winters I can think of – 1947, 1962-63 and 1979 – it’s a flea bite. Councils used to cope with their responsibilities in those days so why the present disgraceful inadequacy?

I use the word “disgraceful”

deliberately as we are talking about a threat to life and limb.

How many people in County Durham will have been admitted to hospital these past few weeks after bad falls?

And when you are talking about bad falls among the elderly, you are talking about something that can have the direst consequences.

Tony Kelly, Crook, Co Durham.

DURING this recent atrocious weather it is most reassuring to know that the Mayor of Middlesbrough, Ray Mallon, is considering travelling to Scandinavia to study their winter clearance programmes (Echo, Jan 6).

Presumably Middlesbrough Council’s head of highways is incapable of undertaking this task, so we can look forward to Mr Mallon’s blueprint, which may well be titled “Minus 15C Zero Tolerance Programme”.

We look forward in anticipation to its publication.

K Lavery, Darlington.