ROAD SAFETY: THE EU has stamped its authority on New Labour's Road Safety Act. During debate on this Bill numerous amendments were proposed to help save lives.

Unfortunately, the UK Parliament was unable to accept any suggestions - it has no power to enact them as this would breach EU law.

Seventy people a year die through collisions at night with lorries. Such accidents dramatically fall by fitting lorries with reflective tape. Alarm systems to prevent HGV drivers leaving their cabs without putting on the brake (seven fatalities a year) and a requirement for left-hand drive trucks in the UK to have a right-hand side mirror (enabling drivers to see behind them when pulling out) were all rejected.

Tory, LibDem, and rebel Labour MPs supporting the proposals were outnumbered by Labour MPs who placed subservience to Brussels above saving British lives.

By 2011 Brussels may bring in such laws. However, by then more than 300 British people will have been killed. Road, aircraft, ship and railway safety are areas where Westminster apparently cannot pass laws to save lives in our own country. - Councillor Stephen Allison, UKIP, Hartlepool Borough Council.

BARTON THE PIGEON

I READ Ray Mallon's column, "Has anyone seen Barton?"(Echo, Nov 17), about the friendly rivalry between Highways Agency traffic officers over the kidnapped toy pigeon with great interest.

On the surface, this part of Mr Mallon's column was essentially light-hearted, but it also contained an underlying serious message, which illustrates the perceptiveness of the man.

Mr Mallon is an astute politician, as he was a police officer, and understands the importance of winning the trust and confidence of his electorate or staff. A strong and united community team spirit is at the heart of his work ethic.

Sadly, this doesn't seem to be the case among some Highways Agency senior managers who insisted the joke must end (Echo, Nov 22). It seems by their lack of vision and understanding of human nature they are in danger of undoing the excellent team spirit built up by more junior colleagues.

Perhaps they should follow Ray Mallon's lead and leave their nice warm offices at Wakefield to visit and get to know their staff better. Only then might they truly understand what really makes people "tick" - like Ray Mallon obviously does. - H Earle, Blackhall Colliery, Co Durham.

AS an American working in your country, I would like to congratulate the Highways Agency traffic officers for their wonderful sense of humour as outlined in your story, "Pigeon is coming home to roost" (Echo, Nov 11). The British sense of humour is so wacky, it's great.

I regularly drive along the A1M road to my office in Newcastle and often wondered what the Highways Agency did. Now I know.

But I guess some "bosses" are the same the world over and undergo a "humour bypass" operation when they are elevated to the management team.

Never mind, guys, I thought the joke was very funny. Keep up the good work. I'll wave to you on my travels. - Jeff Tamiggi, Darlington.

FAREPAK

THE story of 150,000 mostly working class Farepak customers, who lost on average £400 painstakingly saved week by week for Christmas hampers, speaks volumes about free-market Britain.

Many of Farepak's customers are elderly, who used the company because it is easier having Christmas food parcels delivered to the door than carrying heavy shopping in winter weather.

Farepak was not some type of back-street outfit. It was managed by Sir Clive Thompson, a former chairman of the Confederation of British Industry.

Sir Clive, who campaigned against increasing the minimum wage, earned £1m last year and will remain super-rich, despite the collapse of Farepak.

The Farepak scandal has such a resonance because it goes to the heart of class division. The poor get done over, the rich walk away with the profits.

Farepak had been in serious trouble since July when its share price collapsed. Trade Secretary Alistair Darling expressed concern, but did not intervene.

So-called "Social Exclusion Minister" Hilary Armstrong also said nothing, even though hundreds of thousands of low-paid people are being excluded from Christmas. - John Gilmore, Bishop Auckland, Co Durham.

ESTATE AGENTS

SCRUTINY of professional bodies providing a service to the public can only be regulated if individuals or organisations are open and committed to the inspection process.

Estate agents have been in the market place and on websites for many years, but if they are to be recognised as a professional group they need to be monitored within a code of conduct.

Some do appear to have qualifications and are members of an institute or association, but unlike solicitors and accountants, they are not bound by national standards or necessary regulation to enable standards to be measured.

Putting it bluntly, what recourse do we have against an unscrupulous estate agent?

The relationship between the professional and the client should be built on fundamental principles. Trust and integrity must be the basis of the relationship between estate agent, prospective buyer, or purchaser, and vendor.

But I have become increasingly aware that many people have become victims of those whose motivation for business is more to do with self-preservation and packing a slice of profit.

Regulation is not only necessary in maintaining standards, it is essential in providing some protection to the public. - Bernie Walsh, Coxhoe, Durham.

NELSON MANDELA

LOOKING back over the years since the end of the First World War to the present day it seems the world has been poorly served by its leaders, (except, of course, for ours during the Second World War).

Hitler, Stalin, Franco, Mussolini, Pol Pot, Milosevic, are all now deceased, but we still have Mugabe, in Zimbabwe, who is blinded by his hatred of Britain, and there are others, not forgetting Saddam Hussein.

Yet through all the misery brought about by evil men we have one outstanding shining light. I refer to Nelson Mandela.

How easy it would have been for this great man to have unleashed the ANC to take revenge on the white South Africans who murdered, tortured and humiliated the coloured people of South Africa.

But no. He inspired a time of reconciliation and warded off what would have been a bloodbath.

So, let's honour this giant of a man and, when he is no longer with us, the whole world should mourn and hold up his memory to be revered for all time. - Hugh Pender, Darlington.

STATISTICS

CHRISTOPHER Wardell (HAS, Nov 28) asks where I obtained the statistics indicating that the UK population is about 92 per cent white and the North-East almost 98 per cent white. (The exact figures are 92.1 and 97.61 respectively).

These statistics came from the 2001 census. If he wishes to check the figures he can visit www.statistics.gov.uk/cci/nugget.asp?id=273 The next census is planned for 2011. - Pete Winstanley, Farm Cottage, Durham.