SIR - I write as Mayor of Denholme to thank all those in the village and in all political parties who have supported our campaign against the Buck Park landfill. The result of the inquiry has been a great blow to everyone.

We also want to make clear that we do not share the criticisms of local councillors made in your paper by Chris Leslie and Jim Flood.

Indeed, we are grateful to Councillor Simon Cooke, who was the first to take up our case, and to Councillor Robin Owens, whose Planning Panel rejected advice from Council officials to approve the tip and instead refused the second landfill application, triggering the public inquiry.

We also want to thank David Senior, the Conservative prospective Parliamentary Candidate, who represented us at the Planning Panel, helped raise funds to pay expert witnesses and put our case at the inquiry.

Unfortunately for Bradford Council, the inquiry was based on the 1999 refusal notice, which the former Labour Council had already said could not be defended.

Council planning officials have throughout taken the view that the landfill should go ahead, so their appearance as witnesses, as suggested by Jim Flood, would merely have damaged our case.

Mrs Barbara Rayner, Mayor of Denholme, Carperley Crescent, Denholme.

SIR - I feel sure that every resident in Cullingworth agrees with every word of R H Marshall's letter (T&A, March 30).

I feel for the people of Denholme and admire the efforts of "DRAG". The same kind of assurances were given about the Manywells tip. And, what happened? Smells, dust, rubbish and, of course, the completion dates were not met.

This didn't cause the operators any problem, for when any extension was requested, the planners recommended the new dates to the Council and, of course, the Council agreed.

Don't expect any help from the Environment Agency when problems arise. From our experience, you will receive little support.

You may remember that only a few weeks ago when yet another extension was sought for the Manywells tip, the agency was quoted as saying that really time-scale was not important - the main priority was to do the job properly.

On a more positive note: when you get a plague of flies and you complain, the Environment Agency will set up fly-traps in your garden. We did. Sadly, the agency concluded that the numbers were not excessive and, anyway, the flies trapped were not the kind that come from tips.

Robert Hughes, Manor Gardens, Cullingworth.

SIR - With regard to the article featuring the Brown Cow at Bingley (T&A, April 2). Your reporter seems to have been misinformed about the pub's history.

The previous inn called the Brown Cow is listed in Baines Yorkshire Directory for 1822. A brewery was attached to the pub which became known as the Bell Bank Brewery.

In 1924 landlord Richard Lightfoot won a bronze medal for his ale in the class for beer with an original gravity 1060 and above, at the Brewer's Exhibition.

In December 1925, the house was acquired by Haworth brewers E Parker & Co. The Keighley News reported in 1927 that the owners of the Brown Cow were in negotiations with the County Council with a view to removing the inn from the dangerous corner on the Bingley to Halifax Road.

Two years later, the same publication showed a photograph of its rubble remains.

The present pub was built sometime after and came into the hands of that famous Keighley firm Timothy Taylor & Co Ltd when they purchased Parkers' seven houses in July 1956.

M E Toft (Brewery History Society & Bradford Camra), Westcliffe Terrace, Undercliffe.

SIR - No wonder the foot and mouth situation is chaotic when there is a total lack of co-ordination between the various public bodies who are supposed to co-ordinate their efforts.

I have a list of areas which Bradford Council deem are safe for walkers to walk. One is Hirst Wood, where a risk assessment has been done and they deem it safe for walkers.

Alongside Hirst Wood runs the Leeds Liverpool Canal where British Waterways have done a risk assessment and they deem it is not safe.

So you can walk along one side of the canal and can't walk on the other. I rang British Waterways and they said their risk assessment was better than Bradford Council! They pointed out that deer could be a risk.

Bradford Council have recently opened St Ives where there are deer. Some co-ordination between public bodies is necessary if the public are not to be totally confused.

David Bowles, Tyersal Terrace, Tyersal, Bradford.

SIR - When is Bradford going to wake up to the midnight stone thieves? After all, the public have to foot the bill for the open spaces to be tarmacced.

Why doesn't the Council take them up first? They could resell them and the money go to resurfacing the open space.

D Burnett, Great Horton Road, Great Horton, Bradford.

SIR - I really sympathise with the people of Thornton. My grandson goes to the Church School and started swimming lessons but after only three lessons the baths closed.

I think they should apply for a huge government grant like other parts of the community get according to features in last week's T&A.

Then maybe the people and children of Thornton may not feel left behind and forgotten.

V J Mortimer, Aynsley Grove, Allerton.