Letters to the Editor

SIR, - As usual, The Gazette has been on the ball with its reporting of the threat to the continuing existence of our village pub, the Wheatley.

However, I understand that your inquiries about its future have been met with bland denials and spin from Punch Taverns PR department.

The Save us Pub campaign started last month. One of its initial objectives is to try to overcome Punch's Purdah and get them to admit what their plans are; and, hopefully, get into discussions with local people about a positive future for what was after all a central amenity in Ben Rhydding. Two this end we hope we can rely on the Gazette's support in generating some embarrassing publicity which will make Punch sit up and take notice of us.

I apologise to any purists in case the following suggestion is seen as something of a sacrilege, but can I ask you to help us in calling all Yorkshire poets, rhymesters, bards, balladeers and singer to help us Save us Pub.

I have been trying to think up some alternative lyrics to the Yorkshire anthem, to be used in suitably embarrassing publicity events. It starts off something like this:

'Wheer wor ta bahn w'en Wheatley shut?

On Ilkla Moor baht ale - (repeat in usual fashion).

1. Tha's bin to sup in Ilkla Town - On Ilkla Moor baht ale (and repetition).

2. Tha's bin to nobbut Rose an' Crown - On Ilkla ... (repetition).

3. Then we shall sup in Mucky Duck (Mallard?) - On Ilkla..... (repetition).

4. 'Cos Punch 'as pinched us local pub - On Ilkla.... (repetition).

5. Then we's a'walkin' back in rain - On Ilkla..... (repetition).

6. Then we's bahn to get us death o'cowd.'

Unfortunately, as you can see, my muse starts to slip in the inspirational stakes, but what can you expect from an offcumden?!

I am sure there are many genuine Tykes among your readers with a good grasp of Yorkshire dialect, and a much better sense of rhyme and rhythm than mine who would be willing to help out and earn the undying gratitude of Ben Rhydding by penning some better lyrics which we could use.

Come on, Frazer Irwin, where are you when we need you?!

SANDY MacPHERSON

33 Wheatley Lane,

Ben Rhydding.

Disappointed

SIR, - I was very angry and disappointed to read in today's Gazette that OUR council had renaged on a previous decision on the use (?) of fireworks, considering the Government is considering what they once considered.

If fireworks were restricted to early and the New year I don't believe people would mind, but in the better weather displays are a weekly event, causing much distress to pets and the sick in nearby nursing and residential homes.

.I believe we must reconsider particularly the very loud

bangers

J C Basnett

Skipton Road,

Ilkley.

Drivers' views

SIR, - Since my letter on this 'sledgehammer to crack a nut' proposal was published in the Gazette (February 27) I have received considerable support for a more realistic solution to the traffic calming proposals and only one letter of disagreement.

This letter refers to the 'danger, noise and pollution' caused by the alleged 40,000 vehicles a week which use the road. Even with humps, the vehicles will not be going away and presumable 'noise and pollution' will still exist.

Vehicles pollute more when driven in lower gears or when changing gear. As for 'danger' there are wide pavements on either side of the road from the Ben Rhydding shops almost into the centre of Ilkley.

This objector quite rightly maintains the importance of considering the views of pedestrians and residents. Surely, however, the views of the drivers of the 40,000 vehicles, who often are themselves residents of the wider local area, are equally important.

As a driver who uses the road approximately once a day, this means that in a year my car would have to travel over 7,000 humps, each 100mm (4 inches) high.

Without any doubt, over such a period this will cause damage to the springs and suspension of any car driven at the legal 30 mph limit.

I believe that the very visible and prominent traffic calming measures such as those at Manor Park Bends can satisfactorily and sufficiently cause motorists to drive more slowly and thereby reduce accidents.

Why cannot we have something similar at Springs Lane/Bolling Road without penalising the drivers of 40,000 vehicles who use the road by erecting these unsightly and dangerous humps?

ROBIN WRIGHT

The Old Farm,

Cheltenham Avenue,

Ilkley.

Asylum shambles

SIR, - So we have finally learned the scale of the shambles the Government is in over asylum

A record 110,000 asylum applications were received in 2002, a 20 per cent increase on the previous year and twice as many as when Labour came to office. Virtually all other countries have reported a fall.

The fact remains that the overwhelming majority of these application are not genuine; in fact, a large number of them are not trying to flee persecution from countries such as Iraq, they are trying to escape from France!

It is not tough words that people want from Tony Blair and David Blunkett; it is tough action. It is only a firm but fair system which secures all applicants on arrival and processes their cases quickly which will restore faith in the system.

Geniune refugees should then be welcomed and supported whilst the bogus are sent back.. This is not a racist suggestion; it is commonsense.

Instead, the Government taxes us to the hilt, forces students into huge debts and pensioners to sell their homes for care. How come they can afford to support so many bogus asylum seekers?

PHILIP DAVIES

Conservative Prospective

Parliamentary candidate,

Shipley.

Owner's thanks

SIR, - Following the reported loss of my remote controlled helicopter I would like to let you know that it has been recovered, albeit somewhat damaged.

I would like to thank the many people who were so helpful, completes strangers allowed me into their gardens and fields and more than one person offered assistance to help me look for it. This was a lot more help than I had anticipated receiving.

I would like to take this opportunity to again apologise to the lady who was frightened by the helicopter's impromptu landing and say thank you for keeping it safe until I could track it down.

Richard Harrison

Ilkley.

Dog bags plea

SIR, - May I use your columns to appeal to the person who walks his or her dog up around Ilkley Tarn and, bizarrely, collects his or her dog's droppings into little plastic bags, and then leaves them there. I cleaned up half a dozen last week.

Please, whoever you are, either leave your dog's droppings where they are; they may not be very nice but at least they rot and disappear quite quickly, or (better still) collect them up and take them to the nearest waste bin. Whatever you do, don't put them in little plastic bags and leave them on the moor.

They don't decay and they become unpleasant to pick up and take away. Leaving little plastic bags of dog droppings scattered n the vegetation is just the worst possible option.

OWEN WELLS

23 Eaton Road,

Ilkley.

Recycling issue

SIR, - I have been taking newspapers for recycling to the council tip for years, so when Bradford Council decided to introduce separate bins for recycling paper I was delighted that they had finally made some significant progress in helping our environment.

However, as far as my experiences have been so far, the gross incompetency of the waste collection department has actually resulted in less paper being recycled. I wonder, do any of your readers experience the same problems?

With my new bin, I have been diligently sorting my junk mail and collecting paper from neighbours, too.

Despite putting it out on to the pavement on the required collection dates, so far it has been emptied only once by the recycling people and I have had to drag it back to its resting place still full.

The ironic thing is that the regular dustbin men quite often empty it into their cart despite several phone calls to the cleansing department to correct this.

The bins are a different colour to the normal ones, have the word 'recycle' printed on them and, strangely enough, contain only paper. So how can they get this wrong, I wonder?

It only seems to have stopped since I wrote in large, white paint the word 'RECYCLE' on the front of it. If many other people are having similar problems, then the exercise is totally pointless, the waste paper going to landfill sites from my house in the last six months has quadrupled.

D WARD

Ilkley.

No bumps, please

SIR, - I have lived in Ben Rhydding for 23 years and th4 thought of road bumps outside my house alarms me as the value of my home, which I consider to be a 'nest egg', might be reduced by cars banging, crashing and accelerating away from the bumps.

Surely a chicane system should be considered before the proposed measures are pushed through.

Miss FLORA WILCOCK

The Kennels,

Bolling Road,

Ben Rhydding.

Old radio show

SIR, - If there are any readers who remember and are interested in The Ovaltine Show, pre-war from Radio Luxembourg, I have lots of information.

People can ring me on (01943) 600927.

JOHN STUART TILLOTSON

39 Nelson Road,

Ilkley.