ROAD CONDITIONS: I HAVE heard that Durham County Council blames "inaccurate weather forecasting" for its failure on Thursday.

Everyone I have spoken to who spent hours trying to negotiate the "skidlocked" roads around Durham, Crook, Consett and elsewhere in the county was not surprised that it snowed. They had ample warning from the previous evening's weather forecasts on TV.

What they were surprised, and angry, about was the failure of our local authorities to act and treat the roads.

Furthermore, I suspect many of these people are now seething at the council's response. They fouled up, and they haven't the moral fibre to admit it and apologise.

No! They try to shift the blame.

No doubt very soon we shall all receive letters from this same authority demanding yet more money from us than they extorted this time last year.

But can they assure us that this money will be spent effectively and efficiently? After Thursday's showing, that seems highly unlikely. - Derek Thornton, Crook.

GEOFF HOON

AS I heard the Defence Secretary talk about the missing body armour which ended with the death of a British soldier, I came to wonder about the integrity of the modern-day politician.

Here we have a man who, over the last few months, has twice been at the centre of political controversy involving someone's death: the first involved a government scientist who took his own life through the pressures of working for the MoD and the second when a British soldier had to hand back personal protection so that it could be give to another person, resulting in his death.

Despite calls for Geoff Hoon to resign his position as Defence Secretary, he feels that his actions do not reflect those of his department and so he states there is no grounds for him to resign.

This brought to mind a fatal air accident in Japan in 1985 when a Boeing 747 airliner suffered structural failure resulting in the deaths of 520 people out of 524. The then chairman of JAL felt that he had to immediately resign and, as a mark of his standing and integrity, he went to the airport and greeted every arriving family, and he apologised to every family for the loss of their loved ones.

This action to me highlights the difference between two men with senior responsibility: one who didn't have to resign and did and the other who should resign and will not. His actions are the standard modern politicians work to these days, sad though it is. - Peter Dolan, Newton Aycliffe.

INWARD INVESTMENT

WHAT do Samsung, Siemens, Viasytems, Black & Decker, and Fujitsu all have in common?

They have between them all been given hundreds of millions of pounds of public money and produced a very poor return for our investment. Far too many international corporations have persuaded our elected politicians and unelected regional quangos to part with a vast amount of funds in return for promises of huge future job creation which has not been forthcoming.

A basic economic fact of life is that, nationally, over the past decades, Britain's army of three million entrepreneurs operating their own small businesses have created over two million sustainable jobs. The corporate business world has not made a net contribution to our nation's employment figures over the same period. It is the small, independent business community that is the engine room of our economy.

When will the region's MPs and development organisations wake up to basic truths and stop handing out our money to corporate conmen. When they do wake up, millions of pound of taxpayers' money will be saved and then properly invested in the true wealth creators - the region's small but hugely efficient business community. - Peter Troy, Chairman, Darlington Branch Federation of Small Businesses.

EARTHQUAKES

JIM Ross (HAS, Jan 7) might believe that earthquakes can be caused by underground nuclear explosions, but this is highly unlikely.

Maps exist which show global tectonic activity over the last million years. This activity exists around the Pacific Rim, the Middle East, Philippines, Java and New Zealand. There is no tectonic activity in Euroasia so he cannot blame a Soviet nuclear test in the Arctic for the Armenian earthquake of 1988, which measured seven on the Richter Scale and which lasted 42 seconds, five times longer than the Lorna Prieta (California) earthquake of October 17, 1989.

There are thousands of earthquakes every year but only a few are destructive. They range from No 1, which only a seismograph can detect, to No 12 which is catastrophic.

Earthquakes themselves claim few lives, it is the inadequate buildings collapsing which take the lives. - W Collinson, Durham City.

EUROPE

IT is hardly surprising that France and Germany are trying to wriggle out of the action proposed against them for breaking their own rules on the euro (Echo, Jan 14). The game continues.

The big two make the rules forcing their views on the rest. Britain, in the shape of Neil Kinnock in this case, meekly agree, our masters have spoken, we must obey.

The problem is, of course, when the rules are broken by the smaller nations, the big playground bullies punish them severely. When the bullies break or bend the rules themselves, that's all right. No punishment given or deserved, we are told.

What with the more than dodgy accounting processes in the EU and the cheating of those who demand their own way most of the time, the whole edifice of the EU is crumbling. High time we got out before we are buried beneath its ruins.

Oh yes, thank you Euro MPs for voting against the ugly EU flag replacing our British Ensign (Echo, Jan 14). Another sign that more countries than ours are longing to rid themselves of the stranglehold Europe is tightening round our national throats. - EA Moralee, Billingham.

MICHAEL HOWARD

I HAVE been watching Prime Minister's Question Time since Michael Howard became Leader of the Tory Party.

His whole performance smacks of desperation since he knows he is only going to get one shot at becoming PM.

If I had any doubts about voting again for Mr Blair they have disappeared since the alternative, Mr Howard, is a mealy-mouthed weasel, if ever I heard one.

Not once have heard him elucidate on Tory policies, rather he has hurled insult after insult at Mr Blair.

Mr Howard claims to be 'grammar school' educated yet I have never heard him put forward a single policy which will improve the well being of ordinary working people. - Hugh Pender, Darlington.