SIR - Two weeks ago, around 100 people marched in protest at the Bingley Relief Road being built.

During the course of the march, which was walked parallel to the proposed road, it became clear how the location would be irreparably damaged by the new road. The unique Bingley Bog will be damaged and the general tranquillity of the area from the canal will be afflicted by increased noise.

From a conventional perspective, it seems sensible to remove the traffic from Bingley Main Street but the congestion will merely be diverted.

It is a paradoxical fact that upgraded roads attract more traffic as more journeys are made, and the congestion which the roads were meant to ease would actually increase.

After five years following the completion of the Bingley Road, maintenance of it will pass from the highway agency to the local council; this would inevitably cause council tax to rise, as the upkeep would prove very expensive.

Alec Suchi, Allerton Road, Bradford.

SIR - We have all heard via Lord Ouseley what has caused the riots in Bradford, but we already knew this and despite pleas over many years we have been totally ignored. This report is another waste of money under the heading "jobs for the boys".

No amount of talking will put things right now. What is needed is positive and immediate action, namely;

1. Scrap the race relations act (this is the root cause of all the trouble).

2. No more wasting money on reports.

3. Let businesses employ who they want (this will stop them being ripped off and allow them to get on with their work without fear of prosecution)

4. Give the police full backing to deal with lawbreakers irrespective of race colour or creed (no more political back-peddaling).

5. Persecute the criminals, not the victims.

6. Get the Home Secretary David Blunkett to get off his backside and take immediate action on the above proposals.

This problem could have been avoided with basic common sense, but unfortunately this does not prevail in this country anymore.

Trevor Williams-Berry, Bredon Avenue, Wrose, Shipley

SIR - While I welcome the apologies of the Asian businessmen for the riots, they haven't gone far enough. They should name the perpetrators to the police. That shouldn't be too difficult being such a close community.

If they don't, then the people who have been arrested, charged and found guilty, should be made to pay the millions of pounds worth of damage. Maybe then we shall get some names.

Terry Healey, St Matthew's Road, Bankfoot.

SIR - I am writing to say a huge thank you to all the organisations in your area for their help in making the 16th annual Volunteers' Week such an outstanding success!

This year saw one of the biggest Volunteers' Weeks so far, and thousands of organisations across the country held parties, barbecues, concerts and thank-you ceremonies to recognise the invaluable contribution volunteers make, reward those who already donate their time, and recruit new willing hands.

The activities continue because this year has been designated by the UN as International Year of Volunteers 2001.

A calendar of events and more about IYV2001 can be found on www.iyv2001england.org.

Fiona Shadbolt, National Centre for Volunteering, All Saints Street, London N1.

SIR - I couldn't believe my eyes when I read the headline on your report of the council committee meeting that was delighted to hear of well over £1 million being spent to make eight city-centre car parks safer with up-to-date CCTV and a range of security measures.

Saying that 'councillors act as their cars were attacked' gave the impression that the decision was stimulated through self-interest, and ignored the fact that this investment had taken many months to achieve and was not related to any particular incident.

There was some anecdotal comment about car park safety but this was incidental to the main story and did not merit that misleading headline.

The word 'attacked' is also on the vigorous side and does nothing to allay the fear of crime and the many measures taken by the Council that are leading to a continuing reduction in theft from vehicles.

Councillor Keith Thomson, Chair of the Environment Overview and Scrutiny Committee, Heights Lane, Bradford.

SIR - I was interested to read of the Little House Luncheon Club, as my husband and I used to enjoy going each Wednesday.

However, the article gives the impression that the whole thing was begun by just one individual, Connie Bruce, who used to make coffee for pensioners from a little house in one of the old terraces close to the Ferrands arms.

I feel it should be recorded that she was the organising head of the WRVS (still the WVS when we came in 1955!), whose HQ was the old Labour Exchange at the end of Whitley Street. She was quite a character, and got an award for her work.

When Hudson's Grocers closed down before the new development, she moved into a back room of the shop and she and the WRVS personnel made it an informal meeting place for pensioners.

It was when all the old property, (including Bingley Little Theatre) was due for demolition, that Bingley Round Table stepped in, and paid for the building now known as the 'Little House'.

It was still run by the WRVS for some years before being superseded by an independent committee.

Betty Crabtree, Fairfax Road, Cullingworth, Bradford.

SIR - With regards to Mr Cowell's statement (T&A July 3), stating that Peel Park "will be tidier than before the Mela."

As a local resident and frequent dog walker, I can only congratulate the Council staff for their hard work in preparing the park for the Mela.

I am sure Mr Cowell and his gang will do a good job, but surely shouldn't some credit be given to the hard-working park staff who have been given the task of cutting the grass at 5am?

Maybe if people on community service were given more of these tasks the parks would be tidier and therefore a lot more enjoyable for the general public.

Kathrine Murphy, Bolton Lane, Bradford.

SIR - Re my letter regarding the death of Max Grosskreutz at Odsal. As your reader says in the T&A (July 3), his death was reported incorrectly!

Please accept my apologies - I can only plead that after Max's bad accident I did not attend any more speedway due to that, and I must have confused that with Joe Abbott's unfortunate demise.

I cannot remember which came first and this must be due to my approaching 32nd birthday - second time around I must add!

Phil Boase, Elizabeth St, Bradford.