YP Letters: Resorts losing their famous sea views

THE other evening, I was dropping a resident off in Filey and the low sun made Bempton Cliff look spectacular, so I reversed the car and we walked to enjoy the view.

After a few yards, the view disappeared behind trees. My question is this: Why have trees been planted or allowed to grow blocking the views from the Royal Crescent? When that road was planned, it was planned so that any gardens and the plants therein did not compromise the magnificent sea views. The sea views are the whole point of the Crescent.

The same has been allowed to happen in Scarborough on the south side and up at Oliver’s Mount. For years I have been seeing the trees grow up to block the views and at the same time wondering when the council was going to act by felling them or, at the very least, cutting them back. The architects of those roads and view points intended the spectacular views to be enjoyed, not permanently obscured by trees, most of which I suspect are weeds, bird sown, then allowed to grow unchecked by inaction on the part of the council.

I love trees and have planted many at my previous properties and my present one, but they are managed. Indeed at my previous home, there was a substantial piece of woodland, I planted many trees there, and at the same time, removed dead and diseased ones, pruned and shaped others and, more importantly, kept pulling out seedlings that took root where they were not wanted.

I strongly recommend that the council visit the sites I have mentioned and consider what the original plan will have been, namely the enjoyment of spectacular distant sea views unrivalled in the whole of Britain, not canopies of trees that have robbed visitors and residents of those views by neglect and apathy.

NHS woes not fault of old

From: Judy Goodwin, Altofts.

ON the news we are once again treated to another NHS bureaucrat complaining that the NHS is in dire need of more money, followed by that old chestnut of ‘an ageing population’, thus implying that the old are causing most of the problems.

I have yet to hear one bureaucrat or politician say that over the past 20 years our population has increased by nearly five million with no provisions made to meet this, or did all of these people and their families arrive with private health care?

The NHS, like local government, has been allowed to become an over-stuffed paper shuffler’s paradise, cuckoos giving themselves fancy names and payment to match, whilst pushing much-needed staff out of the nest and not one politician is brave enough to grasp the nettle and make the changes that are needed.

Fracking’s toxic waste

From: Mike Davies, Oak Road, Chapel Allerton, Leeds.

DOES Leeds want to accept hundreds of thousands of gallons of toxic liquid waste from fracking sites in North Yorkshire and Lancashire? Fracking injects vast amounts of water and chemicals, including carcinogens and sulphuric acid.

The current intention, for these and other fracking sites, is for a stream of tankers to carry this flowback waste to Knostrop in Leeds. There it will be “treated” and passed on to the Yorkshire Water sewage works, ending up in the River Aire.

What assurances can Yorkshire Water offer about the short and long term consequences? How much flowback waste will they accept? What will it contain? What will be the effect on our drinking water?

Airport car park misery

From: David Bell, James Reckitt Avenue, Hull.

THE other day, I parked my 16 seater minibus at Leeds Bradford Airport, it was 00.32am and I was picking up five disabled passengers to go to Hull.

I left the car park at 01.11am, a time of 39 minutes.

This cost me £15. Surely this must be a record?

I am 70 and will never ever go to that airport again. I was told last year that there is a free car park available, but you try escorting five disabled people to that in the rain.

From: Andrea May, Horsforth.

I ACCEPT running an airport is not easy, but why do Leeds Bradford Airport never respond to complaints and explain their unfriendly actions? It’s the least we deserve.

Maligned Morrisons

From: Hugh Rogers, Ashby.

POOR old Morrisons! In some people’s eyes, nothing they do is right! Most of this criticism comes from people who don’t shop there anyway.

Just for the record, our local Morrisons is vastly improved and is our supermarket of choice, unless we happen to find ourselves in Brigg where the Tesco store is brilliant.

Your Saturday columnist Tom Richmond will be pleased to know that both stores have plenty of skimmed milk too.