SIR - As secretary of a local amateur sports club I was dumbfounded to read that Bradford Council were paying money to the Bradford Bulls to do up Odsal Stadium and then allowing them "peppercorn rent" (which means they pay £1 a year).

At our club the ground rent is £3,000 a year and for that the Council do nothing to maintain the ground. We have to do all that ourselves. We have also applied for grants, asked for fencing to be put round the ground for security, and received absolutely nothing.

I just want somebody to explain how some clubs pay peppercorn rent and others have to pay more. I know a few amateur clubs who only pay £1 a year so to me what's good for some is good for everyone.

Many clubs are folding through the high cost of league fees and insurance fees and ground rents, but I suppose that doesn't matter to a lot of people as long as the pros get what they want.

I would like to see the Bulls back at Odsal but I wish the councillors would look at the grass roots of the game when they are dishing out money.

Mrs C Pickthall, Holly Park Drive, Bradford.

SIR - May I through your newspaper thank all the people of Bradford who did not wish the Bulls experience to be confined to the scrap heap of history.

I know the views of the many Bulls supporters who have constantly written to the T&A have been at odds with some of your readers, who thought we were being selfish over the Odsal issue.

Of course we realise that many will still feel that the money, which was paid up-front, could have better spent elsewhere. But this is always the way of things, because generally speaking if people don't agree with a project, they are unlikely to wish to spend money on it, whatever it might be!

But for the Bulls' part they can repay the people of Bradford by continuing with all the community efforts, plus making Odsal Stadium a focal point for sporting excellence and success which in turn will help to put Bradford on a world stage, for all the right reasons.

You have helped give a lifeline to the future of rugby in the city, and hopefully the Bulls will be able to regenerate the carnival atmosphere that makes Rugby League a complete family sport.

John Tudor, Lillands Terrace, Brighouse

SIR - Whatever their reasons, 16,000 Sikhs and Hindus, as citizens of Bradford, have the right to scatter the ashes of their relatives with dignity and according to their religious practices. Likewise the residents in the neighbourhood of the proposed site in the vicinity of Apperley Bridge on the River Aire have the right to be properly consulted.

Misinformation about the facilities required and the number of attendees at the service, as suggested in the T&A report of August 22, is likely to cause unnecessary resentment on both sides.

It is unlikely for more than a carload of people, closest members of the family, to be present at the service performed by a priest. No elaborate facilities need to be created which would need high maintenance cost and expensive security arrangements.

For making an informed decision, planners and politicians may benefit from Leeds's experience.

Ramindar Singh, Chatsworth Road, Pudsey

SIR - So Bradford wants to be a Capital of Culture. I presume that this has also to do with the environment as well.

May I suggest that the refuse collectors who empty our wheelie bins start by cleaning up the rubbish they leave behind.

Nearly every week after they have emptied the bins they leave empty cans, empty beer bottles and wrappers on the grass verges on Barmby Boad.

Yesterday, they couldn't even leave me the correct wheelie bin which was clearly marked with a label on the lid (which had been clear-varnished to weather proof it). Instead they left me an unmarked bin which was full of stuck-down rubbish in the bottom. I had to use a shovel, hot water and a high-pressure hose to clear it out.

Why can't people make the effort to place all their rubbish in bags and tie them securely when full?

Graham Sutcliffe, Barmby Road, Undercliffe

SIR - Mike Priestley should not be so pessimistic about the chances of getting back to the days when there were returnable deposits on bottles (North of Watford, August 10).

It certainly will take some pressure to make the big supermarkets accept their responsibility in reducing waste, and it may need a different approach.

You won't see any empty soft drinks can anywhere in California as they all have California Redemption stamped on the top and every township has a centre that will pay five cents for each can returned.

It will be a long haul but it is important that we make sure that those who sell us goods do their bit to reduce the amount of waste their packaging creates.

Keith Thomson, Heights Lane, Bradford 9.

SIR - As a father and grandfather, may I express my utter disgust regarding the murders of Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman. I believe the whole country is in a state of shock and disbelief at this horror. My heart goes out to the parents, but this is no relief for the pain they must be suffering.

Why did this happen? That is the question on everybody's tongue. The answer is quite simple. There is no deterrent. The "people" who commit crimes have more rights than law-abiding people. They are segregated in prison for their own protection. They are allowed to sue if someone takes it upon themselves to put the fear of god into them. This is all the fault of "the law," not the police, who have to clean up afterwards.

I have every sympathy with the police, who have to listen to the ravings of these self-righteous murdering lunatics.

The solution, although it won't bring back these children, has to be a group of Elders, senior citizens who have experience of life, to give out sentences with no consideration of human rights to these excuses for humanity. Let them feel the fear they have inflicted on innocent children.

Trevor Williams-Berry, Bredon Avenue, Wrose.

SIR - In regard to the woman's sentence to death by stoning in Nigeria (for having a child outside marriage), I would like to ask those so-called religious men who imposed this punishment on a helpless woman what kind of sentence they have imposed on the man responsible for his action?

I am in favour of punishment which will fit the crime. Imprisonment of four or five years for taking part in riots certainly doesn't fit the crime. Football hooligans who killed many people abroad didn't get the similar punishment. I wonder why?

The youth of today are the future of this country and placing them in prison and ruining their lives is not the way to deal with the issue. We all have done stupid things in life which we should not have done.

Mubarik Iqbal, Oulton Terrace, Bradford 7

SIR - I totally agree with the comments made by Mrs K Anderson regarding the plight of the unmarried Nigerian woman who has been sentenced to death by stoning.

However, in the news report on this there was no mention of the man who fathered the child. Surely the man involved should bear some responsibility for his actions and share the responsibility and any punishment meted out?

Mrs J Walker, Scarborough Grove, Shipley.

SIR - The ladies who came to Thornton Baths and sauna on Monday and Wednesday afternoons for "Ladies Only" will remember Mabel Kelly, who was in her 90s and enjoyed her days there.

I was sad to hear she has passed away - a lovely lady, who was a pleasure to know. Swimming ladies, remember her in your prayers.

Veronica Farnell, Market Street, Thornton.