HEDLEY VERITY

THE photograph of Captain Verity (Echo, June 30) brought sad memories.

Captain Verity was my company commander, an absolute gentleman and a pleasure to serve under.

It was a bad night and we lost a lot of friends. When not in the front line he would show us how he could drop a cricket ball when bowling on a spot the size of a match box.

I am glad he has been remembered. - Ray Hird, Melsonby.

ROAD SAFETY

SINCE the law came out regarding the use of mobile phones while driving, it does not appear to have deterred many drivers.

It is obvious it is more important to use mobiles than it is to prevent accidents and possible death.

Smoking while driving should also carry the same penalty. - WA Larkings, Bishop Auckland.

SOCIAL SERVICES

THE article (Echo, June 28) on County Durham Social Services paints a very rosy picture.

I do not know whether your reporter actually read the report by the Social Services Inspectorate or was purely reporting on council officers' statements.

But in one area things are not so rosy. That is in the council's approach to "modernising" day care services for people with learning disabilities.

This in effect means that "large" day care centres such as that at Aykley Heads in Durham will be closed and replaced with "community" based services.

The "modernisation" agenda is being pushed through irrespective of the views and wishes of most parents and carers.

We have a situation at Durham where large numbers of parents and carers, some now elderly, are concerned and angry at the way in which they have been kept uninformed.

If the council or its officers cannot accept this last statement why don't they ask the people concerned? - J Routledge, Durham.

ENVIRONMENT

I WELCOME the recent environmental improvements to the Western Gateway entrance to Spennymoor High Street and the involvement of the public at the Shops Forums.

However, I am still campaigning to have the tatty old paving renewed along the main Festival Walk shopping area.

I recently reported an accident when a senior citizen was injured, when he tripped over a loose paving. The unsightly appearance of this paving is not conducive to the clean, environmentally friendly shopping facilities that the Spennymoor shoppers deserve.

I have passed on my views to the town centre manager at the Shops Forum.

I have also asked if a pitched roof could be provided. This would improve the overall appearance of the shops and there is a side area of dampness, which is an eyesore at the bottom rear of Festival Walk which needs attention.

However, Spennymoor has lost thousands of manufacturing jobs during recent years, which must affect the local economy.

The Government must address the vast amount of jobs that the North-East has lost to the Far East and invest more money into our own small and medium-sized firms, rather than large international conglomerates, who move from country to country seeking cheap labour, whilst disregarding quality. - Councillor Ben Ord, Liberal Democrat, Sedgefield Borough Council.

ANTI-SOCIAL BEHAVIOUR

I HAD to concur with Mr Jackson (HAS, June 29) regarding gangs of foul-mouthed, anti-social youths roaming around his delightful town.

Here in Shildon, I cannot take my small children to the local park without subjecting them to disgraceful gutter language, open and for all to see drug dealing and taking and drinking alcohol.

Unfortunately, like many towns nationwide, a nasty, evil, albeit a tiny minority, continue to keep the good, well brought up children away, mainly due to the fear of violence and intimidation by bullies. - Robert Bridgett, Shildon.

EUROPE

I AM fed up with people who resist greater entanglement by Britain in the EU being portrayed as nationalistic, potentially warmongering dinosaurs.

We are not nationalists, we are patriots. We respect other cultures and ethnicities, but we are sick of our own being constantly sniped at and denigrated.

As regards nationalism, the source of that aspersion would be well advised to address his comments to some of our EU partners, so-called, who appear able to do what they like in their own national interests, often at our expense, while we are expected to strictly toe the line.

Excluding anti-British prejudices, the broader picture does, of course, show that increasing globalisation inevitably means some loss of local autonomy.

That has been happening for some time, it will continue and we have nothing to fear from it providing (a) it applies to others as well as us and (b) it's understood that, as a vehicle for this process, the corrupt, undemocratic bureaucratic EU has nothing to offer. - T Kelly, Crook.

AIR TRAFFIC

THERE seems to be a misconception, among certain lobbies and the general public, that aviation pays no taxes.

Jet engines or gas turbines run on either Avtur or Jet A1, both being a paraffin-based fuel, therefore not attracting fuel duty.

But they both attract VAT. Small quantities at five per cent, equivalent to domestic heating fuel, large quantities attracting a normal 17.5 per cent VAT. But since jet engines consume large amounts of fuel, this constitutes a large tax take.

But small piston-engined aircraft usually operate on gasolene-based fuel, which attract fuel duty in the normal way, Avgas being related to road fuels.

VAT is also levied on the full price, as with normal pump prizes.

And we must not forget airport passenger taxes. So you see, aviation is not tax free. - JP Lassey, Thirsk.

Billingham

SOME time ago I passed through Billingham. The site of the Technical College is a pile of bricks.

And I thought of the College Theatre; in 1962 the venue for the first symphony concert in Billingham - BBC Northern Orchestra broadcast live in full by the BBC. This was followed by other great orchestras.

This was the scene of superb concerts in the 1950s and 60s, of Max Jaffa Trio, Owen Brannigan, John Williams and many others and the wonderful evenings of music and dance at the Folklore Festivals.

Luminaries such as Sir Mortimer Wheeler and Dr Jacob Bronowski spoke there, and of course, it was the starting point for budding theatricals, one of whom was Richard Griffiths.

So much for dreams. A pile of bricks, and no one seems to care. The Forum Theatre next? - Les Jackson, Richmond.