Letters

I see from your report (Mercury May 14) that the residents of Cliff Cottages at the Hopton end of Warren Road are going to have the council in to remove the private status from their road by legal means. It is a typical example of council's highhanded treatment of the public that the first the residents knew of this was from your report.

Judging by the collapse of the council's first attempt over legalities the good folk of Cliff Cottages would be well advised to be alert.

Council spokesman Mr Birchall said that the residents would have to be consulted before the adoption could take place. That's nice, also very true. The residents of the Gorleston end of the road were also “consulted” last October, 98pc of those there voted against the project but apparently that was not a big enough majority since it was ignored. These consultations are nothing but PR stunts straight from the council training manual.

I see that Mr Butcher is still claiming a 3000 strong support group for this scheme - I wonder how many of them live on Warren Road?

RICHARD GREEN

Kennel Loke

So Norfolk County Council has now decided to use legislation to attempt to adopt Warren Road in order that they can go ahead with the cycle path. Strange how they did not check this was required before attempting to bulldoze their way through with this in the first place.

Vegetation, blackberry bushes and numerous nests etc were destroyed some months ago when they saw fit to 'hack' it back several feet. Now we have it in writing in the Mercury that it will be chopped back further to road width to allow lorry access. If the Acle Road cannot be dualled as it would affect wildlife, how is this acceptable?

I also find it interesting, that apparently 3,000 residents in Gorleston and Hopton gave their support. How was this done? If by questionnaire I find it strange that NOT ONE resident on Warren Road or Kennel Loke was ever asked! Where are these 3,000? They are definitely not using the Lowestoft Road cycle path and if this is the sort of numbers we are to expect using the Hopton cycle path, surely this backs up our claim of the dangers involved in that number of users competing on a single carriageway road with vehicles.

The residents of Warren Road have no objection to the original path being tidied up and used by locals as it always has been, as a delightful country footpath, surrounded by an abundance of wildlife. This is something that MUST be preserved.

S GRAY

Kennel Loke

Gorleston

Some thoughts on readers' letters from the May 14 edition.

Firstly, Ms Louise regarding market chips. Traditionally, chips have been cooked in beef fat because this gives them a distinctive flavour and mouth-feel. If Ms Louise and her vegan friends do not wish to eat market chips then there are plenty of options open to them other than imposing their beliefs on the majority who have no desire to go along with their particular lifestyle choice. Also, the statement that “what they don't know, won't hurt them” is, in this case, actually true.

Secondly, I would like to raise an issue with Tony Wright's farewell letter. Some may have missed his reference to representing his “home” borough, I did not. This is a not-too-subtle dig at the voters of Great Yarmouth for having the temerity to vote for a candidate that did not live locally. Similarly, Katie James in her letter makes reference to Great Yarmouth not yet realising “what they have given up”. Again this subtly implies the electorate got it wrong. I hope this is just sour grapes rather than anything more arrogant. It is true that money has been spent locally on a number of high-profile projects, however, what has also become apparent over the past months is that they were funded, along with so many other projects nationwide, with money that the country just did not have. Unfortunately but predictably we will all in the coming years have to contribute in order to pay back these debts. In a letter to the Mercury in 2008 I said then that we were being bribed with our own money and that every Labour government in my lifetime had been voted out of office leaving the economy in a mess. The sky darkens and the air vibrates with the beating of many wings as these chickens all come home to roost.

DENNIS J BEAN

Burgh St Peter

Beccles

In reply to the letter from Kayleigh Louise in The Mercury May 14 Dripping Makes Chips Off Limits. Having worked on a chip stall for the past 17 years that is what draws the people into the market for chips cooked in old fashioned, traditional beef dripping. Holiday makers from all over the world who visit our little market say they have been told to try bag of Yarmouth's chips as they are cooked in a different way to a normal chip shop. I do understand where Kayleigh Louise is coming from, as we do get two or three people a month, saying they are vegetarians, but the demand isn't there. There is a chip stall up for sale at the moment, why not buy it and be the first to fry vegetarian chips?

JULIE MELDICOTT

Queens Road,

Great Yarmouth

In this Nanny society haven't we had enough of rules and regulations governing the content and preparation of food?

The suggestion in last week's Mercury that chip stalls should advertise the type of fat the chips are cooked in is another example.

The tastiest chips are cooked in beef dripping, that's why “market” chips are so good. If you want a chip you might as well have a real one not some pale imitation.

Live dangerously, let yourselves go on occasionally. Buy a big bag of chips, smother them in lots of vinegar and salt and enjoy. Life's too short.

PAULINE LYNCH

Mill Lane

Bradwell

Your article ''War Veteran lays horror Aid Raid Ghosts to Rest'' in The Great Yarmouth Mercury dated May 14 does not cover the story that has unfolded about these twenty-six young girls of the ATS killed by enemy air action in 1943. As was the custom during the second world war, no public information was released about the raid and its outcome - not even to the parents who knew only that they had suffered the loss of a precious daughter while in the service of her country.

For fifty years families and the general public knew little or nothing of the exact circumstances and no doubt would have remained so, were it not for the diligence and persistence of Mr Val Grimble, a researcher into war-time history living in Gorleston.

He discovered that in 1943 a number of young ATS girls had been killed as the result of a direct bomb strike by an enemy plane at the site of what was Sefton House, (now the Burlington Hotel) on the North Parade.

In 1947 the ATS were re-badged as the Women's Royal Army Corps and their Old Comrades re-named The WRAC Association. Mr Grimble kindly passed on to me, as secretary of the Norfolk Branch, all the information he had gathered from records. I immediately, in co-operation with my colleague, Mrs Meg Watson, set about finding relatives of those girls. Eventually, with help from many sources, all relatives were traced and contacted to tell them a plaque in their sisters' memory would be erected.

The following year, 1994, through the kindness of donations from families, friends, other Association members and the general public of Yarmouth, we were able to install the plaque. This was unveiled by Lady Soames, herself a member of the Association, who had served in the ATS during the war.

Sadly the parents had all passed away, most of them without knowing the fate of their daughter, but many brothers, sisters and relatives from all over the country attended the unveiling which was fully supported by the citizens of Gt Yarmouth.

Since then, for the last sixteen years, members of this Branch have held a service and placed flowers in their memory at the site. This year, for the first time, we welcomed Mr Brian Heaney, the subject of your Mercury article.

Those of us who served in the ATS during the war are now very advanced in years, and we hope that our tradition of honouring by remembrance the loss of these young girls in this terrible incident will be accepted as their responsibility by younger WRAC members of our Association and that the public will remember them too.

MRS JOAN AWBERY

Secretary

Norfolk Branch WRAC Association

Meadow Rise Road

Norwich

When? When? When? Will the people of our wonderful county of Norfolk wake up?

Those of you who saw the Anglia News were told of the “monster” Stenna line passenger / Ro-Ro ferry now starting to run out of the Essex port of Harwich bound for the Hook.

We have been told by councillors from NCC and GYBC that in this climate of “credit squeeze” a ferry for Great Yarmouth is out of the question, a “none viable happening”. The same statement came from Mr. Freeman the CEO of the port of Great Yarmouth.

It is a fact EEDA's �8.5 million, the EU's �4.5 million, and the �4.5 million from the Norfolk ratepayers plus the �1.6 million in land and the half million in cash from the ratepayers of Great Yarmouth, was handed over to the International Port Holdings for the outer harbour to be built with the main criteria being a Ro-Ro Ferry service to the near continent with employment rising to 1000 plus and the 100 existing port staff keeping their jobs.

Now nearly halfway through 2010 the few ships that have been in the outer harbour, my count to date is 11, have not brought jobs, and not even Mr Freeman's much acclaimed container service has arrived. We had one DSV ship that needed fuel, the outer harbour could not supply so the DSV brought its own tanker ship.

Why is it that Harwich can be seen to be doing so well? And Lowestoft is now getting wind farm work, shipping companies showing a preference to Lowestoft over Great Yarmouth.

Is every one blind to what has happened or are we all so brainwashed by our councils in allowing them to run things their way and ignoring our needs, that people don't care anymore?

We in Norfolk should have that ferry service that Harwich now has, we would have if those acting on our behalf, had indeed “acted on our behalf” and not acted for the investor's in our Port, investors that financially will come out very nicely, thank you very much.

JOHN L COOPER

Retired Port Welfare Officer

Burnt Lane, Gorleston

NOW that the elections are over (or are they), I would like to thank Tony Wright, our local man, for all the hard work he put into his years of office whilst being our MP. He is proud of Great Yarmouth and has been a great help and support to many people, businesses and projects over the years. We need somebody with the same interest in our area and can only hope the newly elected Brandon Lewis fits the bill.

NOREEN DOCWRA

Beatty Road

Great Yarmouth

In Through the Porthole, Mercury May 14 there is mention of the railway from Southtown Station across Southtown Road to Jewson's yard.

An interesting point is a locomotive never crossed Southtown Road the reason being they were not allowed to. The trucks of timber were pulled by Shire horses to Jewson's yard with a man walking beside the trucks operating the brakes. I think the reason for this was that Jewson's yard had a light track which would not carry a locomotive also the trucks were diverted on the branch lines to various parts of the yard via a turntable which was only just big enough to take a truck. The manoeuvre could not be carried out with a locomotive.

MR A WATKER

Sturdee Avenue

Great Yarmouth

Coincidentally there were two contrasting points of view in last week's Mercury: one by NHS Norfolk and NHS Yarmouth and Waveney which would force elderly people on long term NHS care to leave their own homes to go into residential homes even if they were capable and wanted to be independent and spend their remaining time in their own familiar surroundings.

The other view in the "thanks column" was from a ninety-one year old independent lady who expressed her thanks to the carers who were enabling her to remain in her own home with their care and kindness.

This lady had lived through the pre war depression, given service fire watching during WW2 while her husband was away in the Navy helping protect our way of life. After the war she worked with the others of her generation helping rebuild our country to make it much, much better for later generations.

What do these unthinking beaurocrats know of the hardships these elderly people have gone through for the benefit of those that followed them, which includes the decision makers themselves. Important as money is, there are sometimes some things which are more important still and care of an elderly generation who gave so much, who we all owe the greatest of debts for saving our country against all odds so we remain free and independent, let them enjoy the fruits of their labours and keep their own independence for as long as they are able.

DENNIS DURRANT

Brett Avenue

Gorleston

Congratulations to Gorleston Hockey Club on reaching the centenary of their foundation.

I had the pleasure of playing for Gorleston from 1959 - 1979 and captaining them for ten years. It was a very happy time and much enjoyed. Our tours to Yorkshire and Hertfordshire were memorable.

Many members have given great service over these years and I hope that they have a very good weekend of celebrations.

Hockey does not get the profile that it deserves as one of the great games. Even before leagues were introduced there was fierce competition between all the clubs in Norfolk and Suffolk!

I happen to think that the all-weather surfaces and the change of rules have made the game even faster and better. It is a great game to watch on television - non-stop action!

Best wishes to the Club.

REVD RON INGAMELLS

Aragon Close

Buckden

Cambs

Whatever next - we are all asking ourselves in Hemsby - surely not our bins reinstated or the awful tarmac pathway finished so that it meets Health and Safety regulations as at the moment it is an awful accident waiting to happen as the tarmac does not meet the top of the kerb stones therefore anyone can trip into the road and into the path of a vehicle.

Perhaps we will be given a lovely pond filled with Koi and ducks or a nature trail explaining the species of Marram grass and wood chips planted within our wavy pathway. NO what we have been given is three matching pieces of blue artwork which the workman digging up the newly laid tarmac informed us was somewhere to park your bikes! Why could you not have given the elderly and disabled a more useable seat and not a cold concrete slab that they are scared to use as it is too far away and they are afraid they will not be able to reach the bus in time instead of a cycle rack placed in the middle of the pavement. The safety railings that run alongside the faded zebra crossing have now been replaced by wooden fencing which would have looked better along the wavy pathways. How is this going to stop vehicles mounting the pavement, as we all know that this is an accident hotspot not helped by the mini roundabout sign pointing up Beach Road instead of informing Kingsway traffic to stop and give way to the right.

Why have the bins not been reinstated? We have a parade of lovely shops selling fast-food and a grocery store selling many items which all have packaging that needs to put in a bin when finished - so where does it all get thrown? Yes, the floor. My last request is to the borough council to show us the plans originally drawn up for all the work to be carried out as it seems to have gone missing and it has been bought to our attention plans originally passed by the parish council look nothing like actual work still being done.

TINA NUUD

North Road

Hemsby

This Monday at 8.05am a council lorry passed my house cleaning all the roadsides. At 8.15am the grass cutting team arrived. By 8.30am the roadside was covered with grass cuttings, also the drains. No wonder the roads flood over when it rains. But I am only a woman - what do I know?!

MRS S HODDS

Ormesby Road

Caister

On Friday my wife and I went to Tesco to get the weekly shop. To make myself comfortable I took my Mac off and inside the pocket was my mobile phone - as I thought - but unknown to me at the time it must have fallen out. When we were going through the check out my wife received a call on her mobile phone from our granddaughter to say that Tesco had contacted her to say that my phone was safe in customer care. Tesco contacted my granddaughter as she was the last person I spoke to on the mobile phone that morning.

I was amazed and I did not even know the phone was lost. But thank goodness Tesco's excellent staff were on the ball.

MR C GILBERT

Blackfriars Road

Great Yarmouth

Congratulations to Norwich City on winning the league (season ticket), Lowestoft Town on winning theirs (watched them), Blofield on winning theirs yet again (watched them), both Gorleston teams, who finished in the top four of their leagues (season ticket) and King's Lynn for getting to Wembley, despite not getting past Gorleston in the very first of an epic 12 qualifying rounds.

Also, to Sky TV and the others for all those matches.

Yarmouth did not do too badly, winning their league, but I did not watch them.

When does cricket finish? Has there been an election?

DEREK COOK

Middlestone Close

Gorleston