Simple concept needed to stop town flooding

Your readers may recall the shock news in June that a flood alleviation scheme planned for Pickering failed to win funding at the 11th hour.

Costs soared from £1.3m to £3.2m overnight, due to compliance with massively over-engineered standards set out in the Reservoirs Act to withstand a one-in-10,000-year flood event. The original suggestion of a series of simple small upstream bunds (dams to temporarily store flood water) had been developed into a more highly-engineered scheme by the Environment Agency (EA), which was destined to fail.

Now, the only feasible and affordable way to protect the long-suffering and oft-flooded town is to return to the original simple concept, which would remain outside the scope of the Reservoirs Act due to limited storage potential of each dam. However, it needs a “can do” attitude.

Despite the firm backing of the community, our MP, the Environment Minister and most multi-agency partners in the Slowing the Flow in Pickering scheme, agencies the EA and Natural England (NE) seem reluctant to proceed due to “significant planning and environmental challenges to be overcome” – a suitably vague and imprecise cover-all.

Perhaps the knowledge and expertise for such low cost simplicity no longer exists in some of our heavily bureaucratic government agencies. Maybe it’s time to turn the clock back?

There has now been almost three years of civil service progress on the bunds – ie all talk, no action.

It was intended as a pilot project, so how about some simplicity, compromise, sensibly managed risk and action?

What a national embarrassment it would be if the EA once more walked away and left the town to flood in peace. Are we really too clever, technologically advanced and tied up by red tape to build a simple bund or two? One day, that protection may save lives otherwise lost in the maelstrom, not to mention the huge cost of every flood.

Saying no to a new crusade

From: Trev Bromby, Sculcoates Lane, Hull.

SOME time ago I expressed a view that an imminent attack on Iran had only been delayed while Libya was dealt with.

The US and British governments, not the citizens, are intent on a war with another Muslim country, and it seems nothing will stop them. The relentless crusade continues.

Apparently Iran arranged to assassinate the Saudi ambassador in the US. Downing Street, some distance from the US coast, says Iran must pay for its “shocking” violation of international law. “Yippee!” they cry, another chance for an illegal invasion – if it don’t fit, make it fit.

When stating “shocking” violations of international law, Bush, Blair and their multi-million pound blood money fortunes must come into the equation. These are the people, and their cronies who should be held to account, not the British public.

The sooner Islam recognises the real enemies the better. The public must not allow Obama and Cameron to drag us into another crusade. In fact the world should say no, no, no.

The so-called war on terror cannot end while the likes of the US and British governments keep terrorising Islam in its many forms.

Arresting invention

From: Graham Hall, Carlton Close, Eggborough.

In 1950 I was 13 years old, and avidly read my father’s weekly motorcycle magazine. I recall being impressed by an article which explained in detail the Dunlop Maxaret unit, and how anti-lock braking would become the thing of the future.

The Dunlop Maxaret unit became generally available to aircraft manufacturers in the early 1950s. It was developed by Dunlop in the UK, and soon put to use on most UK military aircraft, such as the Handley Page Victor and English Electric Lightning.

Many other manufacturers followed suit, both in military and civilian aircraft. Living within three miles of two bomber airfields, I was well aware aircraft often crashed by running off the end of the runway, either when aborting take off, or when returning from bombing runs.

Developments for military purposes are invariably top secret, and precede any possible commercial use by some years, so your correspondent John Lennard is very likely correct when he recalls their use in Lancaster Bombers. The Vulcan was announced in 1956 so would not be the first aeroplane so equipped.

Arrêter is the French for “Stop”. So Dunlop coined Maxaret, from Maximum-Stop.

Greetings for British firms

From: Mrs M Rimes, Goodmanham, East Yorkshire.

Seasons greetings – already our shops are stocking Christmas cards. Soon there will be a huge choice available, and at a reasonable price – with the cost of the postage often matching the cost of the cards.

I was dismayed last year to see that so many of them were printed in China. It seems that nearly everything we buy is now made abroad, and while I (sadly) appreciate that this keeps the cost of our goods more affordable, I find it outrageous that even some charities have their Christmas cards printed there. It is not as though they are in any way superior or indeed significantly cheaper.

What a warped sense of values we have. We support charities which support the Far East economy at the expense of our own.

It’s high time we showed a bit of loyalty and support to British companies. Where and how we spend our money is reflected in our shops and society around us. If we decide to spend on cheap goods, then one day we’ll find that the businesses which make quality goods will have closed down. There will be no choice and our British economy will be in a worse state.

So I plead with you readers to send a message to the big companies who put profit before decency. Buy British – and what better time to start than Christmas?