Illiterate drivers lose the plot

Following the closure of the A65 at the bridge between Hellifield and Long Preston this weekend we saw many hundreds of cars driven by people who could apparently not read the warning and diversion signs on Skipton bypass and the Little Chef roundabout.

Drivers of all ages, from teenagers to octogenarians, drove through Hellifield, weaved round three separate road blocks before finally accepting that the road was, in fact, closed. Many even drove along the 'Road to Nowhere', hoping that it would take them somewhere. Optimists indeed!

The very few who carried a road atlas seemed incapable of reading it as they sought a way out of their self inflicted predicament. As they turned round, many then showed their frustration by driving back through our village at great speed.

What was very striking was the unusually high proportion of large 4X4s performing these manoeuvres. As these vehicles carry a large price tag, one can only admire their drivers for overcoming their illiteracy enough to command a job which pays enough to buy one of these machines.

Or is it one more instance of these selfish, gas-guzzling planet-wreckers thinking that yet another rule doesn't apply to them?

Jeremy Sample.

Midland Terrace, Hellifield.

SIR - Liberal Democrat councillors have fought to get the best possible deal for Earby out of the Bawhead land sale. The scheme will bring very welcome benefits for road safety near to the school; resolve parking problems near Spring Mill; help keep over 350 jobs in the town; and provide over £315,000 direct investment in Earby.

It's a bit rich for Conservative and Labour politicians to criticise. The MP's own Government's rules require councils to get the best possible price for surplus land; and the Tories themselves drew up the detail of the present sale scheme last June! Neither party took the value of sale out of the council's recent budget, so they're happy enough to spend the cash generated.

The die was cast with this site when it was originally included in the council's disposal list several years ago. This was confirmed in November 2002 with Labour and Conservative councillors outvoting Liberal Democrats, who opposed using the Bawhead access.

Direct investment in Earby, which would not take place without this asset sale, totals at least £315,000 and includes: £30,000 for CCTV in Earby, £60,000 for multi use kickabout area to help resolve youth nuisance, £65,000 (at least) for a new junior football pitch; £30,000 towards flood alleviation in Earby, £30,000 for 20mph zones around the site; £20,000 for public transport in Earby; a £50,000 turning head for the school - welcomed as a safety improvement by the school, a £10,000 footpath on Bailey Street.

The scheme would help keep jobs and employment in Earby. Do Labour and Conservatives want to risk losing Earby's major employer?. Sorting out the parking issue will help retain this company in the town; keeping jobs and the additional trade that comes to the town through them.

Over the years, the council has only maintained a high level of investment in local facilities by realising the value of surplus property. In the last five years asset sales in Barnoldswick have totalled £489,000, in Colne £1,549,000 and in Nelson £2,242,000. During this period, disposals in Earby have totalled just £15,000. Without the sale, the investment programme agreed by the council as recently as last month (and not disputed by Conservative or Labour) will have to be cut.

Receipts from the sale of other communities' green fields have been invested in Earby. Recent examples of investment include the £70,000 council shop scheme currently underway, and £50,000 pitch improvements at Earby's recreation ground. In the past five years, investment in Earby from Pendle Council's general investment programme totals £355,201. Housing investment adds up to £472,000. And additional investment to create the Business Park totals £382,593. Over £1,200,000 in total.

The Council's investment strategy assumes that money from the sale of this land will be available for investment in new facilities.

Under the administration's 'fair share' policy, Earby ward would get an equitable slice of this investment from the sale.

The disposal was agreed by Earby Parish in 1997 as a replacement for land at Red Lion Street and School Fields. It has been known and accepted by the Earby community and all its representatives. Recent political activity is no more than councillors running scared of what they have already proposed or agreed to and a Parliamentary hopeful desperate for votes.

Coun David Whipp

Lockfield Drive, Barnoldswick

SIR - When you report the chairman of governors of Skipton Girls' High School saying that parents can change their mind about their choice of secondary school, it fails to say this is only for parents from outside Skipton. The children of Skipton cannot resit the 11+.

We now have two town schools with empty places, none of which will go to local children.

He wants to fill his school up with out of town children whose parents may well have played safe because they already have a perfectly good local school on their doorsteps. Skipton parents have no such choice and are actively discouraged from applying outside of the town.

He has previously indicated in this newspaper that the Girls' High School was less than happy with the increase in the grammar school admission numbers in 2003, all of which went to out of catchment children. This increase was implemented and money spent without a single parent from Skipton being asked.

He also warned that funds were needed for a completely new school building. If the Girls' High School cannot fill up, why do they need a new building? Is it not better to have the money spent for the benefit of all of Skipton's children rather than, for example, the children of Ilkley?

Perhaps Mr Goodfellow, as chief executive of the town's major employer, might like to talk to the parents of Skipton about what they want from their secondary schools rather than to go on a recruitment drive in other places.

He should remember that certain primary schools in Skipton send no children to the grammar schools. That fact might help him understand exactly what the grammar schools are providing for Skipton's children. He should also go out and talk to parents as North Yorkshire County Council have stated in public meetings they have no plans to do so. His comments have exposed the extent the parents of Skipton are patronised.

I also wonder if this will be an election issue for council seats in May? It will be interesting trying to spot the candidate who wants to know why money has been applied for or spent by County Hall for the benefit of parents in Lancashire and Bradford and not for the benefit of the people of Skipton.

Graeme Hitchen

Mill Lane, Bradley.

SIR - At 7.30pm one Tuesday evening, as I drove my Class 3 powered mobility scooter equipped with headlights, rear lights and indicators, and travelling at a speed of approximately 8mph along Brook St, Skipton, the taxi which had been patiently crawling behind me, unable to overtake, given the cars parked on the other side of the road, drew up alongside me and a gentleman sitting in the back wound down his window.

With the calm and measured certainty of one invested with patriarchal authority, he informed me that, as a driver of an uninsured vehicle, I was not permitted to travel on the road.

Slow-witted as well as slow-legged, I had not the presence of mind to challenge him.

I would refer this well-meaning knight of the road to Section 143 (4) of the Road Traffic Act 1988 (c. 52), which states that regulations pertaining to compulsory insurance or security against third party risks do not apply to invalid carriages.

Further clarification is to be found in Section 185 (1) of the 1999 Road Traffic Act, which states that powered invalid carriages are not classed as motor vehicles for the purposes of Road Traffic Legislation.

Name and address supplied

SIR - I feel the public who religiously provide papers each week for the scouts' collection in Barnoldswick should be aware of the wonderful work achieved by their efforts.

Over many years the income from this recycling method has provided excellent maintenance of their scout hut HQ on Calf Hall Road, Paddock Laithe, being one of the oldest buildings in town and highly respected by Scout HQ.

The most recent outlay has been the removal of floor covering throughout at a cost of £4,000.

So, a big thanks to all contributions and volunteer workers. Please keep on with the good work.

Elsie Nutter,

Hollins Road, Barnoldswick.

SIR - Only last month, on a very cold and wet market day, when the High Street was devoid of market stalls, I was a little surprised to see a young lady traffic warden correctly performing her job and placing parking slips on the windscreens of cars parked on the High Street setts. No stalls present - but parking restrictions!

All indications in your paper are that the cobbled areas belong to the High Street properties and, as such, I am sure myself and many other Skipton folk would appreciate an explanation of the legality of placing parking restrictions on private land.

If the restrictions are legal, and we assume they are, to who does the revenue received from parking fines go? For surely they should be contributory to the upkeep of the cobbled areas.

I have lived in Skipton for nearly 50 years and when I first came to the town the High street was an area of pride. The cobbled areas of the High Street are part of the character of Skipton and on the days when the market isn't present the first impression of any visitors must surely be positive, so why do we continue to hide the High Street with a market for four days of the week?

Surely this very beneficial tourist attraction would be better assigned to a location in the Town Hall car park, the displacement of parking spaces being reassigned to the High Street.

The High Street would not suffer congestion to the degree it does on market days as loading and unloading takes place and the cobbled areas would not be littered with paper, cardboard, plastic, etc at the end of the day until the cleaning department arrives and makes this an area once again to be proud of.

Short time High Street parking could be allowed to enable local people to attend to shopping and other visits, to banks, etc and limited parking charges could be applied for periods over say 30 minutes up to 2 hours.

Perhaps this suggestion is altogether too simple to consider and as a consequence the population of this lovely town will have to continue to restrict their visits to Tuesdays, Thursdays, or Sundays, unless, that is, they continue to feel benefit on market days from being "fined for parking", "having transit vans parked on side streets", "and being assigned to a rugby league scrum as they attempt to move", in what must surely be one of the most undervalued and unappreciated highways in the area.

Gerry Peters

Regent Crescent, Skipton

SIR - Those of your readers who walk along the Leeds-Liverpool canal towpath, or more importantly exercise their dogs there, need to be aware of the problem of nesting swans at this time of year.

My wife and our Labrador were attacked by a cob today, and although no physical harm was done they were both terrified.

They were chased for more than half a mile by this angry bird, who reared up to his full height in the water, beat his wings and mounted the towpath in order to drive them off.

Swans are large birds with a wingspan of four feet or more and although injuries to humans are rare they are not unknown. The presence of a dog may antagonise the swan.

Although British Waterways do put warning signs up, our feeling is that many people ignore them. As our experience shows they may do so at their peril!

Steve Willey,

Coach House, East Marton.

SIR - 1533 the earliest written evidence of an "apologia"? (Mr AJA Smith, Craven Herald, March 11).

What about the early 4th century BC, when Plato wrote the 'Apology of Socrates', which he claimed was an account of the speech delivered by Socrates at his trial in 399 BC? Just a tad earlier...

Lynne Primmer,

Grassington Road, Skipton.

SIR - I just had to write in to congratulate all those involved in putting on a superb production of the school edition of Les Miserables at Skipton Town Hall.

All the people I've spoken to who saw the musical, from age six to 76, have said how much they enjoyed the performances. What an array of talent from such a young cast. Putting on such a show requires such time, effort and attention to detail from everyone, but boy was it worth it.

Staging such a show enabled people who are unable to travel to provincial theatres to experience a show surely worthy of London's West End and at a fraction of the ticket price. The beautiful melodies; the powerful voices; the coming together of the whole cast in numbers such as the rousing "Do you hear the people sing". I didn't want it to end.

Let's have more of this top quality live entertainment.

Mrs M Salorian,

Back Chapel St, Barnoldswick.

SIR - Can any of your readers enlighten me as to what 'Gouranga' is all about? I have seen the name plastered on motorway bridges for some time, and now it's reappeared on the railway bridge in Skipton.

If I were on the internet I could no doubt 'goggle' or 'ask Jove' or some such thing, but as I'm not I must draw my own conclusions, which are that it's

a) an obscure religious sect or

b) a new brand of haemorrhoid cream.

As I may require the services of either, or both, before too long I should like to be very clear on the correct application. Any clarification would be welcome.

Eric Aspinall,

Bracken Lea,

Colne Road, Earby

Editor's note: I vaguely remember that it is supposed to mean 'Be happy'. An alternative translation is 'prat'.

SIR - I hope you will allow me to use your letters page to thank all the people who helped my husband when he collapsed at the end of Duke Street on Friday March 4.

To the young man (whose name I don't remember) who came to tell me what had happened; to the ladies who stopped to help; to the man in a car who used his mobile phone to call the ambulance and to the paramedics.

It seems inadequate, but 'thank you' to the doctor in accident and emergency who said "there are some kind, caring people about". Indeed there are and I'm grateful.

Incidentally, Donald is fine.

Marian Chapman,

Duckett Street, Skipton.

SIR - With the 60th anniversary of the end of World War Two being celebrated this summer, many groups in Craven are researching the effect on our district.

Living in Skipton during the war, I became familiar with the sight of a prisoner of war camp up the Bailey at Skipton.

In due course we saw prisoners on parole. They walked into town wearing khaki uniforms, each had a bold colour patch on his back to identify his status. One prisoner who was offered friendship by a Methodist minister played the organ at Gargrave Road Methodist Chapel and it was later revealed he had been an organist of distinction in his native Germany.

I would be pleased to have information - and possibly photographs - about the camp.

WR Mitchell,

18 Yealand Avenue,

Giggleswick.

SIR - I wonder if your readers can help me.

I've been invited to act as a storyteller at local World War Two 60th anniversary celebrations this springtime, and as it was a little before my time, I would be really grateful if anyone could furnish me with a few light-hearted anecdotes of how they coped in wartime.

Of particular interest would be how people eked out their rations, made their clothes, made their own entertainment etc. Also, any local 'wideboy/spiv stories would be particularly welcome. Please write to me at the address below.

Malcolm Hanson,

24a Swadford Street,

Skipton, BD23 1RD.