Letters

I went to the Flood Forum, at St Anne's Social Club, on August 27, and was surprised to find how serious the problem is. There were at least 100 people there, many householders and business men with factories and stores all frustrated with the fact that Keighley appears to have an inadequate sewerage system.

My son has done some investigative works on the drainage at the house and I think the findings will shed some light on the problem.

There are two water courses. One is fresh water or top water (that is water from the roads, streams, roofs etc) that is taken straight to the river. The other is a sewer that goes to the sewage works.

A 6in sewerage pipe leaves our property and joins a 9in pipe in Braithwaite Road, which continues to a sewer inspection chamber. On removing the round, cast iron cover, which by the way weighs about 2cwt, we found three 9in inlet pipes all carrying a steady flow of what appeared to be fresh, top water, but only one 9in outlet pipe.

With fresh water entering the system, (which nowadays is not acceptable) a flash flood will cause havoc, water backing up because it cannot lift the cover off, and of course the worst flooding you can have is a mixture of sewage and fresh water further up the line into the houses.

I took a sketch plan to the meeting and discussed it with a Yorkshire Water manager who promised he would look into the problem

G P THORNTON

Jacksons Lane,

Bradley

SIR - Recently I was sent a copy of the Keighley News, which included an Ingrow Junior School photograph dated 1953 in Ian Dewhirst's column Down Memory Lane.

One of the children in that picture is a cousin of mine named Edward Bracewell. We have not been in touch since just after I left Keighley in 1954 to begin nurse training in Leicester where I eventually married and settled.

If you have a feature in the paper enabling people to make contact with others I would be most grateful if you would ask Edward, or any of our cousins, John, Robert or William Bracewell to get in touch.

As the eldest I, Brenda,(nee Daykin) was very involved with looking after "the boys" in the 40s and early 50s and have often wondered what became of them.

We are at present looking into the Daykin line of the family and I would love to enlarge on this to include the latest information on the Bracewells

BRENDA WILLIAMS

13 Elsalene Drive, Groby,

Leicestershire LE6 OFG

SIR - Re David Samuels's claims that many non-Muslims are ignorant about Islam.

This may be true, but I think that it is he who is ignorant (and naive) about Islam. Has he ever actually read the Koran? If he has he would have come across at least 20 references to "Jihad" (holy war). He will find out that the world is divided into the "Abode of Islam" and the "Abode of war" (ie non-Islamic countries). He will also come across many strong anti-Jewish statements.

And there are slightly fewer passages of an anti-Christian bias (of course, "infidels" are despised.)

Mr Samuels mentions the Islamic precept "love thy neighbour". Many Muslims only love their neighbours if they are fellow Muslims. A hatred of non-believers is frequently espoused in the Koran ("Believers, do not choose the infidels ... for your friends.")

Freud hit the nail on the head when he wrote that all religions preach love for their fellow believers, but they are "hard and unloving to non-believers". Mr Samuels has also the wrong idea about fundamentalism. To me, fundamentalist Islam is true Islam.

Liberal Muslims are simply tinkering with the Koran. This will be made clear to anyone who attempts even a cursory reading of the sacred book.

PAUL MURPHY

Temple Street, Keighley

SIR - In reply to the letter from Mrs Jean Swift, I read a leaflet from the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds some time ago saying that it is better not to feed wild birds in your garden in the summer months.

There is plenty of food available for them elsewhere at this season. If you feed them, it causes the population to increase to an unnatural extent and then when the winter comes, there are many deaths through starvation.

It is heartening to hear of Mrs. Swift's care for wild birds, but save your bird-food for the winter, when they really need it. I think you will notice, also, that the birds will then be there in their usual numbers to enjoy the feast.

Eileen Walker

SIR - Enclosed is a photograph of a road sign erected on the main road out of Oxenhope towards Keighley more than 12 months ago.

Considering the number of people involved in the planning and erecting of a road sign, not to mention the cost, it is quite amazing no one noticed it is facing the wrong way. More to the point is how the little man with the clip board who checks that the work is completed satisfactorily did not notice it. Was he short sighted, inebriated, or is it just a "sign" of the times.

NAME AND ADDRESS

SUPPLIED