Thursday's Letters: Grit shambles shows common sense is also in short supply

Winter comes and yet again Britain is woefully prepared to deal with it. On television, radio and in the newspapers the great debate about why we are unable to cope has continued for days. But, despite the miles of newsprint and hours of discussion devoted to the subject, the truth seems ever harder to identify. There are a few questions I am sure the man in the street would like to have answered but no one ever seems to ask them.

Why were stocks of salt so low at the start of winter? Why is there no emergency plan for these bad winters? Who decided to only grit the main routes? Why is there such a focus on salt?

Gritting has been cut back because of a lack of salt, yet there are many alternatives, which, while not as good, could at least help to keep people moving. In the old days, we used ashes and cinders, there is an abundance of sand. In other countries, such as Austria, where snow is common, they simply spread chippings on roads and pavements, which seems to provide adequate grip.

Why have we failed to employ alternatives to keep things moving? When will we ever learn? The fact that we get bad winters only infrequently is not a good enough excuse for allowing this chaos to continue.

The cost to the economy is far too great for that. Instead of claiming that nothing more can be done and encouraging people to stay at home, we need a bit more determination to tackle the problem and keep things moving. And that starts with some honesty about why we got into this mess, because those who don't learn from the past are destined to repeat it.

From: Christopher M Ward, Station Road, Skelmanthorpe.

From: David Lodge, Moor Park Gardens, Dewsbury.

THE recent weather has once again highlighted the health and safety issue. The North Yorkshire farmer who offered to clear the roads for free and was then landed with a set of rules that he could not afford to comply with is a good example.

Health and safety should be a matter for common sense, not blind allegiance to a set of rules.

From: M Hellawell, Cross Lane, Scarborough.

IS the Government – Rosie Winterton, in particular – totally unaware that two-thirds of Britain has been snowed and iced up for a month? That side roads were either blocked with snow or so icy that nothing could move safely? That hundreds of schools were closed. Do they not watch their TV news?

The cost in fractures and broken bones, the damage to cars and other vehicles far outweighs the cost of gritting. Incidentally, well done to the police for getting stuck in with gritting.

From: Brian Hepworth, Rosedale Bank, Belle Isle, Leeds.

ON Saturday, January 9, my wife and I had driven to Roundhay Park,

Leeds for a walk. But on returning to our car, we were unable to exit the pub car park due to the frozen state it was now in.

After our best efforts, we were no further forward in our struggle. Another car had exited during our endeavours to do the same, but offered no assistance. Our assistance came from a young mother who first approached on her own, then she returned shortly after with her husband and toddler son. This young couple went out on a limb to help us, they were not in the best position to help with their young son with them.

It was very cold and getting dark, so I cannot thank them enough for their kindness.

We then had little time to thank them on leaving this car park as the road we were entering was busy, another car was following our exit and their small son probably thought he was losing his mum. She was driving my car towards the road before I quickly swapped places with her.

We did offer our very grateful thanks and appreciation, but this was very inadequate for the help they had given us.

An absurd stance on immigration

From: Peter Cotterill, Sprotbrough, Doncaster.

A BISHOP in the Church of England enjoys a higher public profile than the average citizen.

With this enhanced profile comes a responsibility to ensure that his pronouncements accord with common sense. After the Bishop of Ripon and Leeds, the Right Rev John Packer, expressed his view that limiting immigration (Yorkshire Post, January 16) may encourage racism, he ought to consider the absurdity of his opinion.

People emigrate from one place to another because they anticipate a better standard of living than they currently experience. Several billion people live less comfortable lives than we do in the UK. That may be regrettable but it ensures that immigrants will aspire to live here so long as the UK has a higher per capita income than their

country of origin.

This will continue until equality of contentment is achieved. Is the Bishop actually saying that we ought to allow immigration to continue up to that point?

Avoiding racism is not helped by reducing the quality of life of all the races that currently live harmoniously in the UK.

Eventually, shortage of resources will diminish the general happiness of all of us. Is this really what the Bishop wants? If not, he should qualify his message with a little more attention to the consequences of it.

Forward thinking

From: Elaine Barrett-Gall, Marketing Manager, vrSoftware Ltd, Roecliffe Business Centre, Boroughbridge.

IN response to the letters regarding Yorkshire Forward's performance (Yorkshire Post, January 11), we would like to say that in our experience we have been a business that has benefited widely from a Yorkshire Forward project, NYnet.

NYnet supplies high-speed broadband to rural areas, one of which is to the Roecliffe Business Centre.

Our firm needed a new location near the A1 with a broadband service

that was fast, reliable, and robust enough to handle large volumes of traffic – allowing the team to develop and demonstrate our products online, in real-time, with colleagues and customers throughout the world.

We were delighted to be able to keep our operations in North Yorkshire and even more pleased to be situated in such a beautiful rural office space with excellent connectivity.

Without NYnet, we would have had to find an office near to an exchange to guarantee the high-speed uninterrupted connection our business demands and we would have probably had to relocate out of the region.

Since locating to Roecliffe, the business has gone from strength to strength, by employing more staff and increasing sales over the

last year.

Yorkshire Forward understands the needs of businesses and through the NYnet project has helped to give businesses in the rural region a competitive platform to compete from.

Mute anger at TV noise

From: Anthony Smith, Bradway Road, Sheffield.

THE letter from A Gowland (Yorkshire Post, January 16) about noise on television programmes states that this issue "is at last being brought

to public notice".

I don't agree with the words "at last" as about 25 years ago I wrote to a BBC feedback programme, when it was presented by Anne Robinson. She held up my letter on screen with the comment "and here is something about which we receive more complaints than any other subject".

There have been numerous complaints on later BBC feedback programmes over the years but silly noise just seems to get worse.

I don't call this background music, it is sometimes louder than the speech of the commentator. It is such a pity, programmes with superb photography and well-written verbal commentary are for me completely unwatchable by this mad unnecessary addition of silly noises.

However, all the complaints that have been made seem to have fallen on deaf ears, it just gets worse.

I overcome it by switching the subtitles on and muting the sound.

Police pay price of a punishment system gone soft

From: Michael Booth, Bramhope, Leeds.

I READ with interest your article (Yorkshire Post, January 18) on the appointment of a new deputy chief constable to lead a team of officers devoted to breaking up major criminal enterprises in the four police areas within Yorkshire.

Hopefully, this will be a very successful initiative, but there is little doubt that it will cost the four authorities an awful lot of money just ahead of the forecast squeeze on their finances. What a pity that the police service as a whole does not get the support it deserves from either the Government or the judiciary. If it did, then this new initiative may not have been necessary.

According to various items I have seen in the media, there is little doubt that a very high percentage of serious crime is perpetrated by recidivists who have previously served terms of imprisonment and found it to be more of an inconvenience than anything else. They are well aware that after a short rest inside they will, in all likelihood, be released well before the end of their sentence and before any hope of rehabilitation being effective. They then merely revert to their old way of life until caught the next time.

For goodness's sake, during the last 50 years we have tried the "softly, softly" approach at dealing with criminals, and according to prison statistics it would seem to have been a total failure. When will we get a Government that dare admit that, and not be afraid to revert to the old system of hard labour and penal servitude, until a better idea comes up to try? You never know; the new deputy chief constable and his team may even become redundant.

Roadside Samaritan

From: Norman Greenley, Maiden Greve, Malton, North Yorkshire.

A VERY big thank-you to a gentleman from Bickerton, near Wetherby, who gave me a lift to York Hospital from a layby on the A64.

My friend had suffered a flat tyre and was endeavouring to change his wheel, with no success. This was en route to the hospital where I was to have a scan. The gentleman pulled in to the layby to assist but unfortunately, still without success.

When he learned where we were bound, he drove me directly to the hospital where I arrived about three minutes before my appointment time and all went well thereafter.

I hope the gentleman who was so kind sees this letter. I once again wish to express my grateful thanks.

Fair game

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

AS I am against fox hunting, I think the hounds should be trained to "hunt" the hit-and-run yobs that are causing so much distress in England.

In my opinion, this country has "gone to the dogs!" I am sure there are a lot more people who think the same.

Disgusting crime

From: I Parsons, Church Lane, Brandesburton, Driffield, East Yorkshire.

I WAS filled with disgust when I read that two "youths" from Poole who stamped a fawn to death for fun were fined 1,000 and received community punishment.

You could not find a more defenceless animal if you tried.