‘My name is Martin...’

REFERRING to Peter Hyde’s (Yorkshire Post, August 14) and Bob Swallow’s (Yorkshire Post, August 21) long-distance telephone call problems, I too suffer from these – early evening meal times being a speciality.

The latest ploy in the introduction – instead of the usual “Good evening Mr Farley” or “Can I speak to the house owner” – is to say “My name is Martin”, or another good British name. I usually want to reply: “Oh yeah!” However, politeness prevails and I just say “I don’t wish to buy anything”, and replace the receiver.

From: Mrs MA Hawe, Linton Close, Cloughton, North Yorkshire.

I TOTALLY agree with Mr B Swallow’s letter (Yorkshire Post, August 21) regarding unwelcome telephone calls. Can anyone explain how these foreign people manage to get our phone numbers and is there any way we can stop them? They are an utter pest.

Watching the watchers

From: Godfrey Bloom, UKIP MEP for Yorkshire and North Lincolnshire, Wressle, Selby.

IF you wondered who guards the guards it seems the answer is the Big Brother Watch group.

Well done to them for their hard work investigating how much the public has been secretly investigated. The answer, sadly, was not a surprise but still makes shocking reading.

Seven public bodies refused to answer FOI questions on their use (abuse) of Regulation of Investigatory Powers legislation but the research showed 345 councils had been authorised 9,607 times in the past three years. Most resulted in no action being taken.

The legislation was intended to fight terrorism but is being used to target minor offences such as dropping litter, flouting the smoking ban and dog fouling.

From November town halls will need permission from a magistrate before snooping. Am I reassured? Am I heck.