15/08/03

Yes Middlesbrough is and always has been in Yorkshire. But - and it is a very big but - it is part of a group of county boroughs which co-operated with each other and became Teesside, along with the Durham boroughs of Stockton and Hartlepool.

Middlesbrough does not need an epithet to proclaim which county it is in any more than York (my home city), Leeds or Sheffield; nor do its people need to take some oath of allegiance dreamed up by some publicity expert with nothing better to do. The people of Middlesbrough are Teessiders, and yes, they may if they wish call themselves Yorkshiremen. - Graham Eason, Darlington.

DIY SOLUTION

A PROBLEM that has faced many householders when having an extension built is how to make the new brickwork blend in with the older existing walls of their property.

It often takes many years of weathering before this can be successfully achieved.

However, congratulations must go to Durham County Council, as it has found no such problem with the new footpath it has constructed on the Greenways Estate, Spennymoor.

Within days of this new footpath being laid and completed, weeds appeared through the surface.

Within only one week of its completion it was being dug up at the entrance to Grasmere by one of the utility services, and was also dug up in several other places to remove old lamp standards.

There are now weeds in abundance and, just weeks after completion, the path looks as dilapidated as all other paths on the estate, paths that have been established for years. - William Scarlett, Spennymoor.

DRIVING TEST

RECENTLY I was following a driving instructor's car which appeared to have a learner driver on board receiving instruction.

As the car entered Great Broughton, North Yorkshire, the left hand indicator was operated and the car pulled over to the left hand and was driven half onto the pavement, where it stopped.

The vehicle was in this position for around 15 minutes with the engine running, and it would appear the driver was being spoken to by the instructor.

I find this event hard to believe but I saw it happen.

The better driver does not park on the pavement and, of course, it is illegal. - Tom Briddock, Great Broughton.

CHEWING GUM

I WAS very pleased to read Ray Mallon's comments on chewing gum (Echo, Aug 8).

I have often wondered why the manufacturers have not been compelled to invent a gum that does not persist or that can disintegrate after half an hour and be swallowed.

Surely those who always like something in their mouths on the streets are a real nuisance and should be dealt with - not thumbs, as they only harm the owners, but along with gum chewers I mean cigarette smokers and alcohol drinkers.

I hope other people support his idea and then something can officially be done. - Jean Cowley, Northallerton.

BEES AND BADGERS

I READ your article with great interest about how British bees are in danger (Echo, Aug 11).

On my walks at the beginning of the year when rabbits were breeding in their hundreds, I came upon 20 rabbits' burrows that had been dug out by badgers and the young eaten. I was surprised at how accurate the badgers were at pinpointing where the young rabbits lay. Was it sense of smell or sensitive hearing? A countryside warden told me that the very dry weather had made the badgers go for alternative food instead of worms and such.

Fair enough answer, I thought. Nature has a way of looking after itself.

Then I read your article on bees. I do quite a lot of walking with my spaniel Russet. In a stretch of 300 yards, three bees' nests had been dug out, and the bumble bees were still milling about. Is this badgers' alternative feed caused by dry weather, or is this their normal feed?

I discussed it with a local farmer, who described badgers as "hoovers". He has seen a big decline in all the ground-nesting birds. What is the answer? - Bill McGuire, Weardale.

GROUSE SHOOTING

WITH the start of the grouse shooting season on August 12 comes the inevitable criticism from animal rights organisations on the "cruelty" or "barbarism" of shooting sports. How wrong that standpoint is.

New independent studies organised by the Countryside Alliance and the Moorland Association and carried out by ornithologists and moorland managers have shown that rare birds such as curlew, golden plover, lapwing and snipe are thriving on and around the well-keepered grouse moors of Northern England - in stark contrast to other parts of the country where they are in serious decline.

The studies show a strong link between thriving wader populations and moors with full-time gamekeepers - testament to the huge contribution shooting makes to the rural economy and the conservation of moorland.

Gamekeepers and grouse shooting are fundamental to the survival of these rare species in the UK - shooting's detractors should not be so quick to judge in future. - John Haigh, Regional Director for Yorkshire, Countryside Alliance, Thirsk.