Letters, April 8 2016

What great news about the third river crossing, and an inspired choice of architect in Lars Piody of FOLA.

I have seen his work before and it always raises a smile. I look forward to volunteering and pitching in on the work.

DAVE GAHAN

Havelock Road,

Great Yarmouth

Footpath clear of bird droppings

Well done at last, between the borough council highways and the Society of Friends, the footpath from Howard Street to the Market Place in Great Yarmouth is thankfully clear of bird droppings.

The protected starlings have relocated to St George’s Park. This has put a spring in the step of residents. Drastic, but necessary – well done.

ROY WALDING

Mill Lane,

Bradwell

No buses equals disappointment

Recently on social media, someone trying to save their public transport services challenged the local councillors to only use these services to see what it’s really like.

I wondered if any of our councillors would take up a similar challenge to get in to Yarmouth by bus and then only using buses or walking visit some of the places visitors to the town want to get to.

I have worked in a tourist business for the last ten years and have met lots of people who are using their bus passes to have a day out or make the most of their free day while on a coach trip. People also take advantage of train offers and arrive here needing to use public transport.

And I’ve been shouted at because people didn’t believe me when I told them they couldn’t get a bus to the place they wanted to visit.

So any councillor want to try it? Using public transport get into the town centre, visit the Tourist Information Centre to pick up your bus timetables and what’s on leaflets (not everyone has a smartphone).

Visit the museums - not just Time and Tide but the museums in the Heritage South Quay: Nelson, Tolhouse, Row Houses and the Elizabethan House. And then the Potteries. If it’s a wet day, visitors might want to go to the cinema, circus or the Sealife centre.

For a real challenge try using the signage available to navigate your way around and try on a Sunday!

Residents know that getting to some places by bus is difficult or impossible.

Maybe try getting to the library or a major food store. You will also have the chance to experience the various different buses that are in service in the town - not all plush seats like the X1 service.

Name and Address withheld

Road cat’s eyes been removed

I am absolutely amazed and angry that in these times of austerity, when we are told the councils don’t have enough money for services, that someone at Norfolk County Council highways department had the bright idea to remove cats eyes from our roads.

They were busy removing them from the main road going through Rollesby and Ormesby last week and filling in the holes while nearby potholes and road surfaces remain in need of repair.

Cats eyes are invaluable at night, especially on badly lit roads when visibility is poor due bad weather.

THERESE HALL

Rowan Road.

Martham

We work for all the constituents

In answer to A Halbury’s inquiry into what and who are his county councillors he would find out if he attended parish council meetings as I and my colleagues attend on every occasion possible.

I have also published in village magazines and at parish meetings that you are welcome to attend any committee meeting at County Hall and any of the full council meetings.

There you will see what your county councillors do and how the county council is run. We are not in the habit of bragging about what we do or what we have achieved in council.

Your three UKIP county councillors are Alan Grey, Colin Aldred and Jonathon Childs and I can assure you we work for and on behalf of all of the Great Yarmouth constituents.

COLIN ALDRED

County Councillor

Lothingland Division

Paid three times for brown bin!

Re letter from L Cockrill, March 25 and discrimination against the elderly? I feel I should write and let you know of my experience at attempting to renew my brown bin online.

The attempt was made via the council website. I followed the instructions and when I got to the end the system advised me my payment hadn’t happened due to being timed out.

I attempted to do this again, and again my payment failed due to timed out and I was told this could be due to disabled cookies. I enabled cookies and attempted to pay again. Again my payment failed for the same reasons as above.

I then decided I would email GYBC to advise them I had tried to renew my brown bin and for clarification that my payment(s) had been unsuccessful.

When I loaded my emails to do this, I had received three emails from GYBC thanking me for my payment. I then realised although the system told me my payments had failed they hadn’t, and I had paid for this three times.

I have emailed GYBC and received an automated reply advising me my email will be dealt with and a response will be sent to me within five working days.

Name and Address withheld

Korean war dead pictures appeal

I am acting on behalf of the authorities at the United Nations Memorial Cemetery Busan South Korea, where over 800 British Servicemen are buried.

The authorities there wish to obtain photographs of those servicemen interred there, and also of those who died but have no known grave.

The photographs will be attached to the men’s records, and will also be displayed on the walls of the Cemetery Hall of Remembrance for all time. The following names are just some of the young men from the East Anglia area who gave their lives in Korea.

Fus John Dockerill, Pte Francis W Holder, Capt David L Astley-Cooper, Pte George H Overy, Capt John L Lane, Pte Maurice A Bell, Fus Derek T Mack, Pte Herbert W Graveling, Pte Noel A Haynes, Tpr Donald R Veasey, Fus Lionel W Goodwin, 2nd Lt Jonathan Wormald, Rfn Lawrence.Bell, L/Cpl Cecil Sharpe, 2nd Lt John R K Doig.

Any family who lost a loved one in the Korean War 1950-53, and wish to take part can send the photograph to me,

Brian Hough 116 Fields Farm Road, Hyde, Cheshire SK143NP. If further information is required, call 0161 368 5622 or 07467 037742 or email bhough116@gmail.com

BRIAN HOUGH

Email

Airbrushed out of world history

How I agree with Mr Porchetta’s letter with our schools being very PC (Great Britain for a reason, April 1); and we have a good idea where most of this comes from with Great Britain and its Empire airbrushed out of history by Hollywood, Europe and also our educational system.

How many kids know who Nelson was and of course good old Winnie? I was working in London the day he was buried and it was a surreal experience.

They no doubt know who Hitler was? The bad dude!

Britain bankrupted itself in the Second World War saving Europe, only to be told No by a tall Frenchman when we asked to join. And was it not Winston Churchill’s idea of a united Europe in the first place?

Going decimal cost this country a lot of money and allowed companies to raise prices in the confusion and up went the cost of living. Our Empire looked elsewhere to trade.

When its own auditors would not okay its books it gives a good idea of the endemic rottenness of the EU and I am in no doubt it has been paid for by us. And have we not been protecting Europe with our nuclear weapons at enormous expense as well as the Americans?

No doubt some people are making money out of our membership but a lot do not.

M DIMMACK

Butt Lane,

Burgh Castle

Pleased to see shop bill defeat

How pleased to see that our MP Brandon Lewis was defeated in bringing in longer Sunday opening hours. How many hours does Mr Lewis and his family spend shopping in Great Yarmouth on a Sunday?

Well done to the SNP, commonsense prevails. What next Mr Lewis, Christmas Day and Easter Sunday?

ANTHONY PLATTEN

St Hilda Close,

Caister on Sea

Wonderful are at two hospitals

Through your letters page I would like to thank the James Paget and Norfolk and Norwich hospitals for the wonderful treatment I have received during the last year,

Fifteen months ago, I was diagnosed with cancer. Immediately, everything was put in place for my recovery. I had chemotherapy at the JPH and my operation was at Norwich three months later, and finally radiotherapy and I’ve been told all looks good, but they will keep their eye on me.

I want to express the treatment I received was first class and I wish to thank doctors and nurses at both hospitals for their dedication and care to me.

JUDITH HAMBROOK

Martham

Danger railings were reported

In response to the letter from Mr David King concerning the damaged protective rail at Falcon Court, Great Yarmouth.

I believe it was during November last year Yarmouth suffered high winds and storm conditions and on the Saturday morning I parked at Falcon Court for shopping purposes and saw a small tree had been blown down and adjacent to Aldi’s boundary wall.

I saw large panels of metal fencing together with a substantial metal support hanging precariously in the branches of another small tree. The first time being the one which had pulled the panels from the wall.It was obvious the panels would soon fall onto the car park area of Aldi’s, a drop of about 20ft and likely to cause injury or damage to persons or property.

I therefore reported it to the police station and it was, I understand, forwarded to the responsible department for urgent attention. The following Saturday I again parked there and the panels had indeed fallen into Aldi’s car park exposing a gap of about 20ft and the support wall about 18ins in height and the tree still not removed, creating a hazard of someone tripping up or indeed falling over the wall and injury or worse being the result.

This scenario remained the same and into the latter part of January I again went to the police station and the same officer confirmed it had been sent and recorded.

In view of the lack of response I rang several departments of the local authority and was passed around and around the system to no avail. I again parked at Falcon Court last Saturday and the problem still remains the same and I wonder who would be responsible for compensation should anyone have an accident; they would have a field day in court.

I wonder if a single emergency number could be allocated for use at the town hall so they could then allocate the problem direct to the relevant department of is this too simple a remedy?

M BAYFIELD

Laurel Drive,

Bradwell

All quiet on the Europe front

Is it me, or have I missed it? I’m talking about the Europe Referendum and whether we should leave or stay.

It’s all gone very quiet on the scaremongering front!

Is this a deliberate ploy to not feed us any information at all so we don’t vote, as we don’t feel we have been given enough information to make an informed decision?

I haven’t a clue, but will be using my vote, and as I voted Yes to joining the then Common Market all those years ago, I’ll be voting Leave this time because I cannot honestly see what we have got out of being a member of something I never voted for in the first place!

Still, that’s democracy for you, well European democracy if you can call it that.

Name and Address withheld

I thought that to beg was illegal

This week, I was amazed to come into the town centre of Great Yarmouth and find it fairly busy. And Regent Road viewed from near BhS was a sea of bobbing heads.

What a difference the weather makes to visitor numbers and locals getting out and about.

What lets it all down is the number of beggars we saw. One encamped outside the Pound Shop in Market Gates, another outside the entrance to KFC and another along Regent Road itself.

I bought one lad a wrapped sandwich and a bottle of water but he looked at the wrapping, said he didn’t like tuna and could I give him the money instead.

Needless to say, I had to walk away quickly for fear of being accused of verbally abusing him. because no doubt someone would have called a policeman then!

I have every sympathy with people unable to get a job, but surely there are agencies who must trawl the town and try and help these people.

And one day a week ago a friend of mine who smokes was asked four times by different people if they could have one of his cigarettes!

I thought begging was illegal, not so in our town.

B NOOTT

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