03/03/03

I have been in and out of work since leaving school and the schemes which the councils and the regional agencies have put forward for the Blue Circle Cement site are nothing more than an utter disgrace and do nothing but take the 'mick' out of Weardale.

All the people of Weardale want are proper jobs and it is high time that Lafarge and the agencies they are dealing with got their act together.

Let's face it, they have made a substantial profit from this site and have had a good, solid and reliable workforce.

If people like me, and my generation, are to remain here we have to have real jobs and not just nonsense talk. - Trevor Wright, Weardale.

I LIVE only three miles away from the Blue Circle site and being only 19 years of age, I have already been made aware of a number of these proposed schemes which, I must say, do nothing to encourage young people like myself to believe that there is an economic future for this valley in which we live.

We want to remain resident here in the dale but only suitable, sustainable jobs can guarantee this and I think it's high time that Lafarge, the Councils and One NorthEast cease talking and begin acting in a positive and sensible manner to keep our Dale alive and thriving well into the future. - Paul McCain, Weardale.

CHEMIST SHOPS

THIS is to let the people in our villages know that there is a threat to our local chemists.

The latest threat from Government red tape is the loss of our local pharmacies. If the supermarkets are allowed to dispense NHS prescriptions, the effect on our local chemists would be disastrous, as the dispensary gives our chemists a good part of their salary, and without it most of them would have great difficulty in making a decent living. It could take nearly 50 per cent of their earnings from them.

Apart from the injustice to our chemists, there is also the inconvenience to the population in our small villages.

Those who do not have their own transport to travel to the supermarkets are going to find it very difficult and expensive to have their prescriptions dispensed. Elderly people and young mothers who have sick children are going to have great difficulty and this is totally unnecessary when we have a dispensary right on our surgery doorstep.

We have a very obliging chemist who, when we need advice, is always willing to take the time to explain any treatment we need to know about. I appeal to you to always give your support to your own local pharmacist and help keep our chemists open.

Remember, if you don't use it you will lose it. - J Hughes, Haswell Plough.

WAR AGAINST IRAQ

THERE are a lot of reasons why we should consider not attacking Iraq including the destabilisation of the whole of the Middle East and the inevitable increase in terrorists and terrorism that will result, the long term consequences and the fact that we will be supporting President Bush and his redneck cohorts who propel him towards war for their own nefarious and selfish ends.

The most valid, however, is rarely mentioned. We have no right to attack. The UN charter to which we subscribe expressly forbids the attacking of another country unless that country has attacked another or it can be definitely shown that it has both the capacity and the intention to do so. Iraq, after the Gulf war and UN inspections, no longer appears to have the capacity and there is no evidence to show they intend to attack. There is a much greater chance that the few weapons that Saddam may have will be used if he is attacked.

Not one of County Durham's MPs reflected the opposition or very serious misgivings of party members and the population as a whole by voting for a motion that simply said the case for war was not proven. Shameful. - John Severs, Durham City.

IRAQ has a vast amount of oil. Russia and China are the key buyers of this oil. America is determined to get hold of this country by hook or by crook to make America into a superpower.

This is highway robbery. One can understand why Iraq intends to defend themselves from invasion.

What Iraq does in its country has nothing to do with us or America, never mind giving the excuse to invade. Every country reserves the right to defend themselves. Think, Tony Blair. - Alf Pyle, Kelloe.

EDUCATION

AS a mother of two children, proud to be British and living in a democratic country, I was horrified recently when our seven-year-old son left school one afternoon with an announcement that a result he had achieved in a recent practice SATS paper was one Tony Blair wanted him to achieve.

As our son had not been in contact with Tony Blair personally we could only presume that our son's teacher was informing the children of Government objectives at seven years old.

Are we not allowing a dictatorship to run our once Great Britain? - Angela Penrice, Middlesbrough.

NATURE RESERVE

I MUST congratulate Spennymoor Town Council on the splendid job it has done in the Cow Plantation Nature Reserve.

New gates have been erected that now allow wheelchair access to the reserve, and a new wide path has been laid with tarmac, so it is now a clean and pleasant place to walk.

You notice I said path, not road or bridleway, because already horses are being ridden on the new path. Horses are not allowed anywhere in the reserve and the law states it is illegal to ride or lead a horse on any public footpath.

All round Spennymoor and Tudhoe, the paths through the woods and along the river banks are being churned up and destroyed by these irresponsible riders. These paths have the same protection in law as the paths in the high street. Someone has to pay for the upkeep of public footpaths and to repair the damage these riders are doing.

If these irresponsible riders persist in using the nature reserve as a short cut between Spennymoor and Tudhoe and will not keep off the public footpaths, I hope the council will get the police involved to stop them committing what is trespass and criminal damage. - P. Richardson, Spennymoor.