SIR - I wonder if I'm alone in finding the word 'vigilante' a bit over-romantic as a term for somebody who joins a mob in baying and stone-throwing outside the home of some socially ostracised and therefore helpless individual? We called it something else when I was at school.

R E SWINDELLS

Spring Row, Denholme Road,

Oxenhope.

SIR - On Thursday, July 5, I had been invited to view the first stage of the Bradford Preservation Trust's refurbishment at the Cliffe Castle Lodge.

It was well worth looking at. The people who are going to work there are very lucky.

I would like to thank whoever it was who put my name forward to view.

R LAPWORTH

Airedale View, Cross Hills.

SIR - Referring to our need to put the Great back into Britain, our country now requires that British idiom of world domination again.

Instead of colonies such as the USA (only a practise run for bigger things) what we should now aim for is the use of the RAF for space exploration. Space ships can be run on fission drive, like a gas lighter.

A HOWARTH

Whinfield Close,

Braithwaite.

SIR - Re foot and mouth/canal activities. An article in the sports section of the Keighley News - under the heading Angling - said that "due to the above (foot and mouth) a stretch of canal Kildwick to Silsden (Silsden being Brunthwaite bridge) will be closed."

Upon arriving to fish I came upon a 'no entry' sign due to foot and mouth, approximately 15 metres to the Silsden side of the swing bridge. At this point I about-turned and walked down stream below the bridge approximately 50 metres to fish.

After about an hour a narrow boat pulled in to open the bridge in the infected area. After the bridge opened the boat sailed through and then pulled into the banking in the uninfected area, to which the man walked to get back onto the boat.

Approximately half an hour later this exercise was repeated in the same process as before.

Surely if the tow path is closed it means closed, or is it open to boat traffic only?

If so, what measures are being taken to disinfect footwear? There was a dry discarded disinfectant mat up against a wall. What good is that?

If the banking is open to boats then why not fishing, if disinfectant measures were to be put into practice.

M PHILLIPS

Silsden.

SIR - I really do believe that you had no reason to print the horrific picture of the culled livestock.

Every man, woman and probably child has seen enough of burning animals, tractors, desolate farms and countryside, distraught farmers, blackened and jagged horizons, to last them a life-time.

Whereas the Times, for example, can and does reach millions every week and can influence opinion, your paper sir, whilst being an excellent local resume, will never have the power to influence a person's beliefs or actions.

Therefore why the sickening picture? All you did, I know, is to upset the general public - again.

Lastly, I would like to ask you, sir, whether you liked to watch the culling of animals on TV or even enjoyed looking at photographs printed in the national press? I certainly didn't. But perhaps I am too sensitive.

DAVID N WRIGHT

School Street, Steeton.

Editor's response:- We debated the use of these pictures and decided to use just one of them to illustrate the impact of the outbreak, and as we said to drive home the message that great care still needs to be taken in the countryside.

I emphatically reject Mr Wright's comments that this newspaper does not have the power to influence beliefs and actions.

For example our stance on the drugs/health issue led to a national award - beating off the national newspapers and all other forms of media.

SIR - I have recently submitted an objection to Keighley Planning Office and have since discovered that they have been working in partnership with the developers and the beneficiaries of the proposal and that no alternative site has, or will be, considered. I refer to Haworth's medical centre.

I was already staggered by the fact that the present surgery holds a petition asking for signatures of support.

I think this is an under-handed move and an insult to those of us whose personal safety will be seriously affected by the proposal.

The whole representation procedure is a complete farce. How can members of the public versus developer, Local Health Authority and Planning Department be a fair fight?

Why keep up the pretence? The decision to build the medical centre on the site in question was made long ago.

TERESA HALL

Ivy Bank Lane,

Haworth.

SIR - How important are elderly people? Bradford Social Services has the answer, and it seems to be 'not very',

Last year the government, recognising that the need for care support was growing, increased the amount that they gave to Bradford Council by 4.1 per cent to almost £47 million. This was to purchase home care for the elderly and, if more care was needed, long term care in a residential or nursing home.

Bradford has a different set of priorities, however. Ten per cent of that money - £4.71 million - has been taken out of the elderly care budget to spend on something else.

On what? We don't know, but obviously something more important than old people.

The slight increase in care home fees that the council allowed last year actually came out of residents' own pension increase, and in many cases Bradford's costs went down.

In eight years of managing Community Care it always seems to be the elderly that go to the back of the queue.

Of the £700,000 increase from Government this year for long term care, only half has been passed on.

Meanwhile, admissions to nursing and residential homes are rationed because they say they can't afford to buy a care home place for everyone that needs one.

This means people stuck on hospital wards when they are ready to move, taking up a valuable bed for people in urgent need.

If you go into a council home it will cost you over £120 a week more than Bradford will pay for the same service in a private home, so they can't pretend they don't know what the real cost of care is.

Our residents deserve quality care and our staff deserve quality pay for giving that care.

This cannot happen whilst elderly services are being bought on the cheap by Bradford Social Services.

It is time that old people were first in the queue for resources that are rightfully theirs.

ANDREW MAKIN

Norwood House

Nursing Home,

Keighley.