Letters to the Editor

We were issued with a sheet telling us when they were coming but have missed last time. Now roads are full of rubbish. The boxes are ugly things to keep inside so are left out, but are easily filled in one week never mind two.

With no lid to protect the rubbish it goes all over. With a lid you restrict what can be put in, so you can't win! The old wheelie bins for paper would have been much more suitable and then every fortnight would be acceptable.

Over Christmas our house and many others had piles of rubbish outside. Let's please have a review of this system as it cannot be viable without making a loss.

I have tried to ring Aire Valley Recycling on their number on the side of the box to no avail and Bradford council don't want to know.

I include a photo of rubbish outside my house, top right, after I took most of it to the tip on January 2, due to the amount built up.

Andrew Goater

Dale View Close

Long Lee

SIR - Initially I was critical of the way that AVR were handling the kerbside collection service on behalf of our elected council in Bradford.

Then, following a conversation with someone on the AVR management team, I understood some of their operating issues which have plagued them since commencing operations.

This may have resulted in my full sympathy for their situation UNTIL I read in the KN (January 6) that Lionel Lockley blames recent non-collections on a "temporary slow down in services over the festive season".

Maybe I'm suffering from some seasonal confusion but surely the festive season generates an increase of recyclable material -- cans, bottles, cardboard, etc

Should the "slowing down" in services that Mr Lockley mentioned really be taken as a winding down?

Mark Pullen

Thorn Street, Haworth

Editor's note: A number of other letters and pictures have been sent on the same subject.

SIR - Please let me tell your readers about a day out I and my two children, Ruth and Lily, aged eight and four respectively, recently had in Haworth.

Between Christmas and New Year's Eve (Friday December 30th to be precise) we drove over to Haworth from Darlington, met my cousin and his wife and two elder children, and popped in to one of the several pubs in the village for a quick bite to eat.

The meal was extremely tasty, the beer delicious and the service wonderful. Catching site of the chair Branwell Bront sat in on his many visitations to this particular public house was an added bonus.

After the pub we strode the short distance up the hill past the church to the Parsonage. Here the staff were helpful and the exhibition wonderful.

We returned to our cars 31 minutes later than the time stamped on our tickets. Of course this was wrong, but maybe you know how it is -- an absorbing museum display, spending time and money in the museum shop, children who dawdle, forgetful of the time etc etc.

Six times out of ten you would get back to the car and drive off thanking your lucky stars.

Twice, perhaps three times out of ten, you would get a penalty ticket. Clearly, one in ten times, (in the village of Haworth, at least) you get a big metal clamp on your vehicle for your sins and misdemeanours.

It is difficult to describe the feelings of shock and anger over this state of affairs.

The car park in question, opposite the Edinburgh Woollen Mill, was three quarters empty, it was getting dark and the children were absolutely mortified. Well, we paid the fifty quid clamp release penalty for each car (plus an extra £3 for the use of credit card) to the burly bloke who had clamped us and, £106 pounds the lighter, we went on our way.

Sure we were late and yes, there were signs warning of the clamping operation, and you may even feel that we were lucky to get back to the car park when the clampers were still around. But the overwhelming feeling of mean spiritedness displayed by the clamping given the time of the year, and not to mention the over- the-top reaction to a relatively short overstay, absolutely ruined our day in Haworth.

I for one shall not come back to Haworth and shall certainly tell as many people as possible of the daylight robbery that operates in the car park.

Philip Abramson

Orchard Road, Darlington

SIR - With reference to Trevor Lindley's letter, perhaps he should look within his own party before attacking either the BNP or the Tories.

Over the last few weeks we have heard of cancer sufferers being denied new life-prolonging treatment on the NHS down to the cost.

A 58-year-old man denied a cardiac procedure at the Ratcliffe Infirmary, Oxford, due to waiting list targets, yet Mr Blair is treated for the same without any problems.

Blair caves in, hands back over a third of the EU rebate to help new members because the French tell him to. Just think, all this taxpayers money handed to the EU, how well we could spend it on our own people.

Under Labour's liberalistic attitude, moral and spiritual values are fast in decline. Recently a young girl was abducted from her bath, another three-year-old child was sexually assaulted and Blair has no plans to rectify these types of obscenities. Paedophiles, perverts walk the streets freely, let out of jail early.

No Mr Lindley, before you criticise others, your party should clean up its act, and quickly too.

R P BEALE

Hainworth Shaw, Keighley

SIR - Last week's attempt by Trevor Lindley to promote the Labour party at the expense of condemning the Conservative party is typical of how people will behave when election fever is amongst us.

Yes Mr Lindley, we are aware of your intentions to stand for the Worth Valley in the 2006 local elections, as we are aware that you came in at 6th place during the 2004 local elections. As a key figure within the Labour party I find it quite astonishing that you state that it was your party alone that challenged the BNP, when in fact it was a mixture of many various organisations, however, for egotistical purposes I will give you full credit for your so called defeat of the BNP during the 2005 general election.

As an experienced political mover with a market research background you will obviously remember how the elections of 2005 were marred within this district alone, with West Yorkshire police investigating over 40 separate allegations of postal fraud.

You will also remember how applications for postal votes rose by 150 per cent for the 2005 elections in the same district, a little spurious in any way you look at it.

As Trevor Lindley has acknowledged that it was his party alone that won the election last year, maybe he could explain exactly how they did it, because from what I can see democracy has played no part.

As chairman of the British National party for Keighley and Worth Valley who acknowledges democracy, I believe that the people of Keighley still enjoy the fact that politically they have the choice of who they wish to represent them.

J Joy,

Keighley & Worth Valley

BNP, Party Chairman,

Canberra Drive, Cross

Roads

SIR - May we through your letters page thank the numerous people who contacted us about pockets of flooding across the Keighley West Ward.

The sole reason that the Council now has money to tackle the floods experienced by residents of Braithwaite (KN Jan 6th) is because Labour successfully fought for the inclusion of these resources in last year's budget -- the Conservatives were originally unwilling to allocate funding.

Why nothing has happened since to alleviate the flooding, when the resources are in place, is perhaps a question best asked of the Council's Conservative leadership.

The BNP have been vocal on this issue but failed to produce a budget of any sort and have never put any proposals to Council seeking resources for their priorities. So, while we have little idea of their budget priorities we do know that they have failed to take any practical action whatsoever to help with the everyday problems experienced by people in Keighley.

In September Labour called for significant resources to be diverted from the Council's coffers into frontline services in Keighley, including money for road maintenance and environmental problems like flooding. Unfortunately Keighley didn't get the extra money because the motion was voted down by the Conservatives, fully supported by the BNP.

Councillors Irene

Ellison-Wood and

Cath Rowen

Keighley West Ward

SIR - Mr Lindley is a politically correct, one trick pony, whose only tactics will be to discredit the BNP. The people of the Worth Valley will not be fooled by his lame attempts and deserve much better.

STUART FEATHER

Hainworth Lane, Ingrow.

SIR - I am involved in making a study of the school days of Andrew Edward Samuels, who recently passed away.

Andrew has a three year old daughter and it was thought that in fifteen years time, when she has grown up, a chest of light and kind hearted notes and photographs of Andrew's schooling days should be presented to her from people who knew him.

Whilst all and any notes or photographs would be welcomed I am, in particular, looking for copies of photographs of Hartington Middle school, Strawberry Street, and Greenhead Grammar school of approximately thirty years ago.

In the first instance please telephone 01535 608427 or e-mail: david@samuelsd40.fsnet.co.uk

David Samuels

Highcroft Gardens

Thwaites Brow

SIR - Keighley housing tenants are to receive free home fire safety checks.

Bradford Community Housing Trust (BCHT), in conjunction with West Yorkshire's fire and rescue authority, is offering the checks over the next three years.

They will be carried out when tenants have their annual gas service visits.

Fire officers will inspect each house for possible hazards, and where necessary fit smoke alarms.

Also, residents aged 60 or over who use a chip pan will be offered a safer deep fat fryer.

The safety of our tenants is paramount, and by linking up with West Yorkshire Fire Authority people will be given invaluable advice and help.

Assistant Chief Fire Officer Simon Pilling has said that by working in partnership with the trust, they are taking practical steps to complete more home fire safety checks in West Yorkshire.

It's a common sense approach to making sure the people of Bradford district are safer from both the causes of fire and the risk of gas leaks or faults.

BCHT took over responsibility for thousands of homes in the district from Bradford Council in 2003. There are around 5,000 tenants in the Aire-Wharfe district, which includes Keighley.

Anyone wanting a fire safety check sooner than under the schedule of visits should phone 0800 587 4536.

Jez Lester,

Director of Asset

Management for BCHT