Hear All Sides

STRAY HORSES

AS a long time resident of Bishop Auckland I feel I can speak at first hand on the perpetual stray horse problem of the area. I have seen horses roaming all over - from picnic areas to busy by-passes to private properties at all hours of night and day.

The people who own them may feel that horses are part of their lifestyle and, as such, are sacrosanct. These people, in general, have little regard for the lifestyle of others - children, motorists, walkers and the public at large.

That said, the local authorities and the police have known for years about this problem. No one has had the will to tackle it vigorously in the past, hence the shambles we now have.

To say that laws are inadequate is a cop out and my belief is that where there is a will there is a way.

Full use of the law and its agents should be deployed along with professional horse catchers and other interested bodies to rid the community of this dirty, dangerous and potentially deadly menace.

Is the death of a child or motorist to be the catalyst that forces the

relevant bodies to spring into action on our behalf to resolve this overwhelming public nuisance? I sincerely hope not. - Name and address supplied.

FOOD SAFETY

AT the same time as you report the number of cases of foot-and-mouth disease rising in North Yorkshire, you also report that scientists are investigating two new potential clusters of the human form of mad cow disease in Chester-le-Street and Stockton (Echo, May 14).

This is proof that scientific matters, especially those to do with human and animal health, are now mainstream political issues, and that in the coming General Election, the political parties must have firm plans to enhance the country's science base.

Whoever wins the election, they must reverse the decline in the budget for solving agricultural problems. In the face of salmonella in eggs, listeria in cheese, tuberculosis in badgers and cattle, genetically modified foods, mad cow disease and foot-and-mouth, the research budget of the Ministry of Agriculture has fallen consistently under both main parties, and would need an 80 per cent increase to restore it to the level of the mid 1980s. - Dr Peter Cotgreave, Director, The Save British Science Society.

FOOT-AND-MOUTH

MAY I ask Wear Valley District and Durham County Councils if the people of Tow Law can look forward to the freezing of our rates, or at least a reduction, considering the smells and increase in traffic we have to put up with at the foot-and-mouth pits situated in our town?

Ever since the start of this project the townspeople here have stood firm against the siting of the mass animal graves built here.

We are sick of being looked on as the poor relations of the Wear Valley, where anything can be dumped on our doorsteps as long as its not in Crook or Bishop Auckland. The smell of the animal pit in use has been absolutely unbearable, so what's it going to be like when the summer comes?

Having read recently of the million pounds which could be given to Crook to update the market place, which has just been done and spoilt, I think it's Tow Law residents who should have this money injected into our town as we have to put up with any inconvenience that crops up. - H Hall, Tow Law.

ACTIONAID

ACTIONAID'S national fundraising week starts on Monday, May 28, and like many volunteers across the country I will be visiting friends and neighbours to ask for donations.

ActionAid's work includes its Positive Solutions campaign, which is focusing on the global crisis of HIV/AIDS. The epidemic is having devastating effects on the developing world.

There are more AIDS orphans in Africa than there are children in Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales combined. The burden of care is falling on their grandparents, and many of them are now finding themselves caring for anything up to 50 bereaved children.

That's one of the reasons why I am asking local readers to spare a thought for children and their grandparents the world over and help ActionAid's work with some of the poorest families in Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean, so that they can have a brighter future.

Please give as generously as you can. - C Pattison, Local ActionAid Supporter.

RAIL BRIDGES

I FULLY support your campaign (Echo, May 11) on rail bridge safety.

To bog down on legalities of fragmented decades-old agreements is irrelevant to present circumstances. It would make sense for costs to be borne proportionately to risks to rail and road users - that is, mainly by Railtrack and partly by highways authorities.

Is no-one at Railtrack responsible for overall safety? Their first step should have been to identify all the potential hazards, internal and external. Unsafe road bridges should have been highlighted then, years ago, and monitored regularly.

Now local authorities had better take the initiative. Since some major bridge works will be needed, temporary measures should be taken even if they are only 'Slow! - rail bridge danger' signs and cones. - Mike O'Carroll, Independent Candidate, Appleton Wiske Division, North Yorkshire.

SPECTACLES

RE your article (Echo, May 11), Can glasses ruin your eyes? I say yes.

I started wearing glasses at the age of five. I was told I would only wear them until I was ten. I am now 71 and still wear glasses. - RC Morrison, Darlington.