Letters

REGARDING the third river crossing; it appears it won't be operational until 2013. This means all the traffic for the new outer harbour has to find another way of getting there for four years. Surely it will not go down the Golden Mile so that leaves the Haven Bridge, past the Town Hall and along South Quay. The mind boggles!

Britain's premier port Felixstowe, must be laughing their socks off. Not only have they been given a multi-million government grant for expansion, but there is also a project at Peterborough for a massive railway transfer depot where lorries will load their containers straight on to the trains for direct transfer to the port, and then on to the ships. What could be easier? Not only will it keep lorries off the road but it will help enormously with the greenhouse gas problem.

With the two, or maybe three, ships a day coming into Yarmouth, surely this waste of millions would have been better spent on trying to save the Norfolk Coastline from sea erosion.

G CASS

Station Road South

Belton

DON'T the powers that be care about the elderly people living in Seawake Close and Rambouillet Close off Trinity Avenue, Gorleston?

I watch time and time over, people huddled up waiting for a bus into Gorleston or Yarmouth in bitterly cold wind and rain. Surely these people need some sort of cover from the elements? They have told me they've asked for shelters for the past 17 years and have always been fobbed off with some lame excuse. It is essential for the elderly who are able to get about to get into Gorleston High Street or Yarmouth.

I notice Bradwell or Belton have just had bus shelters put up. Why not the elderly here? Trinity Avenue is a very busy road day and night and for these people to have to stand draughts from traffic as well as the elements is a very poor show. Those in power may need to use public transport themselves in the not too distant future.

J BELL

Trinity Avenue

Gorleston

WHEN is something going to be done the disgusting state of this town? Every footpath is covered in dogs mess, even in the town centre outside shops. Going to get some shopping, going to work or visiting friends means having to keep one eye constantly on the ground to make sure you don't walk in something.

This area, in particular, is a health hazard. While there are responsible dog owners here who clean up after their animals every time, there are also some who let their dogs fowl outside several times a day and never clean it up.

So, my question is: What do we pay council tax for? The streets are covered in dogs mess, fly tipping is a weekly occurence, there are potholes in every road, the police never come when they are called (even on a 999 call), and we see a street-sweeper about once every eight weeks, if that.

The council tax is used to provide the wages of “jobsworths” at the council, while the residents of this town have to wade through dogs mess and general filth on a daily basis. Oh, and when there's some spare cash left over they put up giant TV screens that don't work, re-docorate the town hall and regenerate the seafront; none of which benefits anybody.

It's about time the council helped out the residents, rather than trying to impress the holidaymakers.

Ms ROSE

Cobbs Place,

Great Yarmouth

I LIVE in Hopton on Sea we have recently had the Old A12 closed for several days by the police. Quite rightly so. However what is not right is the mess and litter they have left behind.

It is appalling. There is police tape all over the fence on one side of the road and all over the bushes on the other. There has clearly been no attempt to clear it up at all. We are plagued by fly tipping in this area and it is the sort of low level offending that can really drag an area down.

I don't recall the police being exempt from the laws of littering and I have asked the borough council to prosecute this matter. This is one of those cases where they should have no trouble tracing the offenders.

Name and Address withheld

IN view of the mid-December announcement of £28m being designated for bus service improvements, may I ask that a priority be replacements for the “bone-shaker” vehicles used regularly on the Lowestoft-Martham services? These old double-deckers regularly have wet floors where they have ploughed through large puddles, particularly on the country roads and are a disgrace in 2008.

ANN DUNNING

Bells Road

Gorleston

I FEEL I must respond to the recent coverage you have given to the alleged bus war between First Eastern Counties Buses and Anglian Bus and Coach. There is no bus war going on, neither will there be one.

At First Eastern Counties we have provided bus services in East Anglia for almost 100 years and throughout that time have always welcomed competition, we firmly believe competition is a good thing and understand the benefits it can give to customers and the community.

I was pleased to read in your most recent article that Anglian's director Andrew Pursey agrees with my view and also says competition is good for the customer. Andrew has also confirmed that bus companies are constantly monitoring their services, and this is exactly what First Eastern Counties has been doing with its services in the Great Yarmouth and Caister areas, more so since Peter Iddon became managing director just less than a year ago.

As a result of recent customer feedback, we recently decided to increase the level of peak-time service offered on the Excel X1 route between Yarmouth and Norwich. This increased level of service has proved to be exceptionally popular and I believe it is further proof that we do listen to our passengers.

Again, with the needs of our customers in mind, we are currently looking at the possibility of extending the already popular service 4 in Caister. To help us with this we are asking for passengers to contact us so we can hopefully provide a service that best meets their needs.

None of this means there is a bus war; what this means is simply that passengers in the Yarmouth and Caister areas will have the opportunity to provide us with important feedback and from this exercise they may benefit from an increase in bus services in their area. If the decision that comes from this is that we increase our level of services in Caister, it will make bus travel easier, more convenient and hopefully encourage more travellers to make the bus their preferred travel option.

GUSSY ALAMEIN

Marketing and Communications Manager

First Eastern Counties Buses Limited

WHAT DO READERS THINK? Write to Letters at The Mercury, 25 Regent Street, Great Yarmouth NR30 1RQ or email anne.edwards@archant.co.uk

WELL, what a surprise! The management of First Bus now wants to listen to the views of its customers, surely nothing to do with the fact that a rival has come on the scene.

It was a very different story back in July. At a crowded public meeting in Caister, First made it very clear it was already decided the 8A route was being axed. They were not interested in our opinions and people were very angry. I, for one, feel no loyalty to First Bus after the shabby way we were treated.

If Anglian gets the contract to give us back our buses, good luck to them. I am sure they will be well appreciated.

A SAUNDERS

Eastern Close

Caister

THE Mercury featured an article on January 4 regarding Mr Ernest Leggett and the alleged lack of medical care received in his final days. On Tuesday, January 8 his funeral took place and how proud and honoured he would have been to know that representatives of his old regiment were in attendance, complete with standard bearers who escorted his coffin. A special wreath was laid at his grave and a bugler played the Last Post. He was not let down by those proud and grand ex-soldiers.

JOY BALDRY

Filby

SOME weeks ago you published a letter from concerning the disgraceful state of the North Drive Boating Lake in Great Yarmouth. I fully endorse all her comments.

In my youth, these gardens were beautifully kept by the borough council gardeners. Does anyone remember the trellised rose garden at the south-east corner? The lake was emptied, cleaned and refilled each year and the boats repainted.

I have no idea who the present owners/leaseholders are but I implore the borough council to come to some arrangement with them and assist in restoring this once lovely amenity. We have a prime example in the lovely Waterways next door.

STELLA CORDINGLEY

Well Street

Great Yarmouth

THIS week the flowers and metal pot have once again been stolen from my sister's grave in the old Gorleston cemetery. Most decent people would understand how distressing this is for my mother who has lovingly tended this grave for over 50 years.

I only hope that the despicable person who is stealing these flowers can sleep easy at night although I would imagine anybody who could steal flowers from a baby's grave doesn't have a conscience.

CHRISTINE APPLETON

Bradwell

WHEN will this council tax unfairness cease? Very soon we will be told it's being kept to under five per cent increase. Big deal!

We have three classes paying this iniquitous tax. For the better off it's just a minor irritant. For the growing army on benefit most will also get council tax paid.

It is the ordinary folk in the middle who find it so hard. To many it can represent 15 to 20pc of their income. How can a tax having no relationship to income be fair?

Perhaps MPs and town hall councillors, with their gold-plated tax funded pensions don't realise how heavily this tax impinges on those on lower incomes or smaller pensions. Or perhaps they don't care.

Find another and fairer way to pay for local projects. Remember, we are not all rich or on benefit. Some of us are trying to stand on our own two feet. Stop this appalling council tax, or hand over your taxpayers' funded pensions and perks.

M DAVIES

Rollesby

PERHAPS your readers would be interested in Turnabouts that resolve all jams and gridlock. Find them on our website www.ubtsc.com.au. Traffic lights at a roundabout? It rather defeats the purpose of having a roundabout which is designed for light vehicle flows and to reduce speed.

JOZEF GOJ

Director & CEO

UBTSC Pty Ltd

Colo Heights NSW 2756

I WOULD like to make people aware of a disastrous and devastating decision made by Norfolk County Council, to close the Assessment and Learning Support Centre at Hillside School, Bradwell. This unit has run extremely successfully for 31 years and I cannot believe that in this day and age the future of special needs children is taking a step backwards.

Many of these children are autistic and have come from mainstream classes in schools throughout the Yarmouth and surrounding area because they cannot cope in a mainstream situation. Will future children suffer the fate of having to cope as best they can?

The closure of this unit will also mean there will be no access to SEN provision for children four to eight years in the Yarmouth area at all! The centre's Ofsted report in November 2006 stated: “Teaching and provision for pupils in the Assessment and Learning Support Centre is outstanding and the children make very good progress and enjoy their learning. The A and LSC is attached to a very good school which is well resourced. It is an inclusive school where provision for pupils with learning difficulties and disabilities is very well co-ordinated.”

The centre's curriculum includes horse riding, swimming, cooking and toy library visits. They also have their own mini bus supported by Focus charity, run by past and present members of staff, parents and friends. They have a committed and dedicated staff experienced in a wide range of special needs who work together as a very efficient team. Where is the justification of throwing all of this away and denying these special children the right to an education to suit their needs in an environment they can cope with.

BERYL JACKSON

Laburnum Close

Bradwell

IN light of the millions spent on Great Yarmouth seafront last year and continuing to be so this year, can someone from the borough council tell me if anything is going to be spent on improving Gorleston seafront this year? Or are we going to have to put up with the council-owned, derelict brick beach huts for yet another embarrassing year. Relatively, the price of doing something with these eyesores would be a pittance compared to that lavished on Yarmouth seafront!

JOHN HUGHES

Victoria Road

Gorleston

FOR approximately the last nine or 10 months my friend and I decided that being somewhat less fit than we should be, and not the most ideal shape for sunbathing, that we would play squash. There are several courts in the area but the Marina Centre on Yarmouth seafront seemed the easiest to access. The first thing we noticed was there were lighting tubes out on both courts, so we persevered and continued to book the court with the best of the worst lights. Nearly each week we mentioned the fact of poor lighting to the receptionist, manager in fact anyone who would listen. Repeatedly we were told they would be done this week, then next week, then before Christmas tthey were just waiting for the tubes.

We will now look for somewhere else to play, but have tried to support the Marina. As for my friend and I, we will get trimmer somewhere else, hopefully without the need for miners hats!

STEVE PERFECT

Bridge Meadow

Hemsby

SURELY Mr Tony Wright's suggestion that a third river crossing should be similar to Breydon Bridge must be taken as a joke as a single yacht is able to stop all traffic in the area, when the bridge is raised. Or am I being sarcastic?

JOE COOPER

Meadow Rise

Hemsby

I READ in the Mercury about the fight for the bus route on the old 8A route. I now quote from a letter Mr Peter Iddon of First wrote to me on August 2, 2007 saying and I quote: “I can assure you that we have absolutely no intention to make any changes to this particular route, at the end of September, or indeed at any time in the foreseeable future.”

If Anglian Bus was not now trying to put a service on the old 8A route, Mr Iddon would not be interested in putting extra buses on this route. Also the bus service Anglian would be putting on would be smaller busses, and low level platforms for easier access for pushchairs and elderly people.

If Anglian Bus does do the 8A route they also could be planning to go to the James Paget University Hospital. Please let us all give Anglian Buses a chance.

P JONES

Eastern Avenue

Caister

IF ever there was an issue of the Mercury which screams for placing in a time capsule, surely last week's (January 11) is absolutely ideal, for however long or short the period before the capsule is resuscitated.

Page 15 is anxious about the third river crossing, Page 22 is debating the dualling of the Acle Straight, Page 24 is worrying about Gapton Hall roundabout.

But best of all is the Page 4 summary of magistrates court cases, which, at some time in the future, will explain why so many residents are taking advantage of the cushy deal as miscreants they are getting from the court of the day.

JACK GRICE

The Pastures

Gorleston

Happy New Year and welcome to January 2018, yes correct. I'm about to pop out to walk the dog on the beach; of course, I'll carry my ID card for reasons of “national security.” You can be stopped at any time by the authorities these days, asked to produce your card and explain why you are in a particular area.

The internet has now taken over all forms of communication and entertainment (newspapers being long consigned to history for being too “carbon-inefficient”). Access, content and e-mail traffic are all monitored 24/7 by GCHQ, again for “national security” reasons. I'm a bit concerned though about this new government proposal to make it a legal requirement to have your web-cam turned on all the time.

Back in 2013, when road-pricing was introduced, all cars were fitted with satellite tracking chips. As the has UK failed to hit its C02 emissions targets, a new EU law has just come into force using these to monitor all private travel, with “environmental fines” for any non-essential journeys. Global warming has also meant all foreign flights now have to be authorised in advance by our Border Control Agency. I recently tried to get permission to visit my son in the USA but my application was refused as I didn't have enough carbon credits.

I've not been too well lately, but I'm hoping to hear soon whether I will qualify for free NHS treatment. I've managed to get my BMI below the allowed maximum of 25, I've never smoked and I drink less than 21 units of alcohol a week, so I do meet the physical criteria. Unfortunately, because I sent some politically incorrect emails to a local newspaper about 10 years ago I now also have to undergo a psychological assessment. Oh how simple everything seemed back then!

DENNIS BEAN

The Stables

Burgh St Peter

I QUITE agree with the action by Asda who will be fining non disabled persons who park in the disabled places. Let's not stop there, how about a joint venture between the police and Norfolk County Council and clamp down on the fraudulent use of these badges by able bodied people. Take Stonecutters, Howard Street by Palmers car park, King Street just to name a few places; if you look at the people who get out of the cars parked on the double yellow lines, I bet half are not the disabled person to whom the Blue Badge is registered to.

Before the howls of protest start, I am disabled myself. If I can play by the rules why can't the rest of the disabled group do so. No wonder we are given a bad name. Wake up Norfolk and stop the rot by taking a firm stance of this ignorant group and make an example of them.

Name and Address withheld

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