THE letter from Rob Smith (HAS, Dec 10) about the lack of expenditure by Darlington Borough Council on our icy streets gave me food for thought, especially as I have seen people being carted away in ambulances after coming a cropper on the ice around the town centre this week.

Mr Smith said that the council is not shy of splashing out on wheelie bins when money could have been better spent on grit.

After much cogitating, I’ve come up with a great idea. Why don’t we, the first frost after we get the wheelie bins, climb into them, and using a broom handle for propulsion, perambulate around the streets of Darlington in our wheelie bin chariots?

You never know, it could catch on!

Paul Hardy, Merrybent, Darlington.

IT was somewhat bizarre to read the crass comments from Redcar and Cleveland Councillor Steve Kay on the recent snowfalls (HAS, Dec 12).

What Coun Kay forgot to say is the relevant council cabinet member actually lives in east Cleveland and was working diligently with the gritting crews to mitigate the effects of the winter weather across the whole of the borough.

If Coun Kay had listened to the local radio station he would have heard people ringing in to compliment the council gritting teams.

Therefore Coun Kay should thank the east Cleveland cabinet member and the gritting crews for their sterling efforts in these periods of inclement weather.

Councillor George Dunning, leader of Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council.

LOOKING out of the window yesterday morning at the ice covered paths and roads brought happy memories of the very hot summer of 1976 flooding back.

Then I thought, why can we not have a baking summer like 1976 every year?

The drought of 1976 was 18 months of well below average rainfall. The hot summer lasted from May to the beginning of October, and I cannot remember a drop of rain in those five-and-ahalf months.

We had to endure daily fires and dry riverbeds, and agriculture suffered a loss of an estimated £500m in failed crops.

I worked underground at Blackhall Colliery, and you could feel the heat about three miles under the North Sea because it was so hot at the surface.

The severe drought may have caused serious water shortages, health risks to people with emphysema, and fire hazards, but I found people were happy and wished the hot weather could last for ever.

But as I remember, by the end of October 1976 we did get heavy rain.

I do not think we would grumble if next summer was as baking hot as 1976.

Jimmy Taylor, Coxhoe.