Can I ask that the people responsible for Norfolk's Waste Management Strategy, ie senior council staff, the assigned contractors' management or even our councillors who sit on the relevant committees, and presumably claim expenses for so doing, take a few visits to Caister on Sea and witness for themselves the chaos that now occurs too often.

Can I ask that the people responsible for Norfolk's Waste Management Strategy, ie senior council staff, the assigned contractors' management or even our councillors who sit on the relevant committees, and presumably claim expenses for so doing, take a few visits to Caister on Sea and witness for themselves the chaos that now occurs too often.

On Thursday June 25 I arrived just before 10am with ten bags of green waste (not suitable for my compost bins ) and joined a queue of cars waiting for one of the waste bins to be emptied .

This is possibly acceptable, though I am dubious about the planning for this operation, but on gaining access to the site, which now has a very restricted turning area for vehicles, the green waste compactor was out of action (problems happen!) and the immediately visible large bin was full.

Rubbish was being spilt and rubbish bags lost as people, mostly elderly, struggled to place more waste into the bin.

In frustration I sought out an operator so I could comment on the problems and was told “don't know why you are all using that bin, there is another one at the far end.”

I ask now why hadn't the steps to the first bin been sealed off and people directed to the second bin and why are the bins so far apart? Surely study of waste flow at this time of year would indicate the need to sometimes have them side by side? I got away from the site at 10.32am.

Unfortunately I returned at 11.52am and joined another queue that stretched back beyond the coal merchants yard towards the riding stables. An operator walked the queue advising us that they were now operating a “one car out, one car in” policy because another lorry was loading up. It was puzzling that it seemed to take so long for the queue to move and sometimes three cars would leave at once.

The problem turned out to be that a large 4 x 4 with a long trailer had entered the site and being unable to turn in the restricted area the owner had pushed the trailer into a 'parking bay' and then parked the vehicle in such a way that several of the 'parking' bays could not be reached and other cars could not leave!

Why aren't trailers directed to the far end of the compound to ease traffic flow?

There was a lot of frustration and anger and the poor operators would now appear to be mainly car park attendants. I left the site at 12.43pm.

I question why with more people thankfully using the site has the yard area been reduced and I forecast more bonfires and fly tipping!

Russell Weston

Filby

THE news that the 11 remaining dock workers are to be made redundant was received with disgust by the Great Yarmouth Trades Council.

There is strong evidence to suggest that the dockers will be replaced with casual agency labour, thus driving back conditions at the port one hundred years.

The strong public hope that the outer harbour project was to be the catalyst for Yarmouth regeneration seems mythical to the dockers.

Although 11 jobs may not seem as particularly many during this recession, this action will be seen as a green light for port employers across the UK to use the recession as an excuse to attack stevedores' terms and conditions and casualise the ports.

Furthermore, we will be talking to the East of England Development Agency who donated a lot of public money to the outer harbour on the basis of jobs, training and development for Yarmouth.

A promise clearly reneged on.

As a Trades Council we will not stand idly by and watch these jobs be axed without resistance. As such there will be a demonstration of dockers and trade unionists outside EastPort headquarters on South Quay in Yarmouth on July 9 at 4.30pm. We urge all Yarmouth people concerned about these developments to come along and show solidarity with the dockers.

KEVIN REYNOLDS

Great Yarmouth and District Trades Council President

I am absolutely delighted that Newtown Youth Centre on Jellicoe Road, with which I have been associated since its early beginnings has secured a �32,000 boost to its funds via the Norfolk Youth Fund.

I well remember as chairman of the relevant council committee when the council was Labour controlled, being asked for a piece of land adjacent to the racecourse to be used as a base for this new project. The late Ray Higgleton, borough councillor for the area was given an old mobile building and transformed it into Newtown Youth Centre's base and since then I am pleased it has gone from strength to strength. I am sure its sustained success can be attributed to Carl Harding who is now the secretary, his wife Julie the manager and the rest of the team who as dedicated organisers, encourage the youngsters to participate not only in various indoor and outdoor sports but the social activities that run along side it.

Carl has been involved with the centre for the past eight years. His activity in supporting restorative justice work carried out by the police and his success with the centre recently resulted in him being awarded the Community Citizen of the Year Award sponsored by Norfolk Police Authority. The youth club is supported by parents, local police, local authorities and children's organisations which has resulted in a marked drop in anti social behaviour.

The grant money will allow the centre to move forward and its plan for a new, larger friendly base can now be reached. For further details of how to help, join or become involved please call Carl on 01493 300088.

Details of the Norfolk Youth Fund can be found by calling 01603 222639

Well done to all and I look forward to seeing the forthcoming work progress and wish the club and all its associates continued success.

Tony Wright

Great Yarmouth MP

I wonder how many Yarmouth residents have had to call upon weekend dental services recently, they may be surprised how far they are expected to travel.

Last Friday evening my daughter broke a tooth and was in some discomfort, so a phone call to her normal dentist resulted in us being told to dial an 0845 number which put us in touch with the agency appointed by our local NHS service to provide out of hours cover. The response we received? You will have to go to ......wait for it.....no, not Norwich, but Ipswich for your nearest emergency dental treatment!

Thanks very much Mr Brown and Mr Wright for your wonderful improvements to the NHS and the dental service!

K Jackson

Primrose Way

Bradwell

Today I got on a First Eastern Counties bus for the first time in a few weeks and was shocked to discover the hike in the price of the day ticket to �5.50 from the previous �4.50. I was unsure if it was correct but brought the ticket and decided to check the website, I was disgusted to discover that as I live in Ormesby I am no longer classed as living in the town area (despite only being 5 miles out of town) and have to buy a combined Yarmouth/Lowestoft ticket. I do not want to go to Lowestoft I simply want to go to Yarmouth, I start college in September and will have to get a yearly ticket which if I lived up the road in Caister I would pay �420 however because I am in Ormesby I have to again by a combined ticket at a whooping �630! They should have left the ticket system as it was and maybe added an optional combined Yarmouth/Lowestoft ticket for those who do want to get to Lowestoft instead of hitting those who simply want to commute from the villages to Yarmouth. I am wondering if they are going to also improve the service and provide a reliable and regular service with clean well-maintained buses, but no I still have to wait at least an hour for a smelly bus that I fear may fall apart. I thought we were in recession and encouraging people to ditch their cars in favour of public transport? Hopefully I will be able to get help from college towards the cost of my ticket however I feel sorry for the pensioners, single mums and families on low incomes that live away from the town centre. I think I'd rather pay a friend petrol money and have a clean, safe and reliable journey into town.

Lisa Weston

Ormesby St Margaret.

I have been playing badminton at the York Road Sports Hall for the past 14 years and I am very upset to hear it may shut. In our club ages range from early 20's to early 70's and we all enjoy ourselves and more importantly it helps to keep us fit, something that we are encouraged to do. Shut our hall and where would we go? Most of us work during the day so don't get the opportunities to do other activities that are open to others. As we play all year round the Marina Centre isn't an option as we'd never get a parking space in the summer and it is too expensive anyway. Please don't take the hall away we need it!

Kim Flint

Gorleston

The article 'Maggots thrown in Broads dispute' in the Yarmouth Mercury could infer that the action by the Broads Authority (BA) to ban angling from the bankside at certain moorings was agreed to by the Broads Angling Strategy Group (BASG). I would like to make it clear to your readers that this is not the case. The group acts in an advisory capacity and sent a written response to the BA in February 2008 regarding the disputes at moorings. In the summary of the response it clearly states 'The Angling representatives of the BASG consider that a total ban on angling from 24 hour moorings to be unacceptable'. The BA has brought nothing directly back to BASG meetings since our response and neither has it shown any evidence of acting on and achieving the recommendations proposed.

The Fisheries Action Plan for the Broads Executive Area of 2003, to which the BA is a partner, states 'there is scope in the new Broads Plan to address the conflicts, many of which occur in the holiday season. It is vital that angling is not targeted in isolation but is incorporated into a wider management strategy, aimed at all users impacting on the broads'. This dictatorial action of the BA at the four spots is considered unreasonable and is an indication of its failure to promote mutual understanding of user needs and to work in partnership to solve management issues.

Dennis Willis

Hoveton

Chairman of the Broads Angling Strategy Group

In reply to the letter Let Dogs Be Dogs,

I have had dogs all my life mostly large breeds until we rescued a small little cross breed a few years ago in Spain.

We always let him off the lead to be around other dogs until last year he was badly hurt by two English Bull Terriers. They broke his jaw in two places and the trauma to watch this poor little dog was terrible. He was stitched from near his ear to under his chin, also the girls who had those dogs gave a false address and we ended up paying nearly a thousand pound vet's bill!

Only about four weeks ago he had to be operated on again to remove the wire which they had placed hoping the bone in the side of his jaw would mend but unfortunately it didn't so he has to live with that for the rest of his life.

I don't blame anybody who picks up their little dogs - in fact, I'm glad I wouldn't wish that on anyone.

These days there are so many people who just let there dogs off and don't care what happens with them or around other people's dogs. There are so many Staffs and English bull terriers around I know some owners who are responsible but a lot that are not and these dogs have a jaw that once they get hold of a dog you cant get them off, in fact in Spain they are under the dangerous dogs act and it's law out there for them to be muzzled.

I don't know why you have such a problem with people picking up their dogs as long as you and your dogs enjoy your walks then it's up to other people what they wish to do.

M Smith

Gorleston.

After writing a local history book Berney Arms Past and Present in 2000 I had several people asking for a get together which led to the first Berney Arms Reunion in 2001. We will be having our eighth reunion this year on Sunday September 13 from 12 noon onwards, at the Berney Arms Inn.

Everyone who has lived or worked there or who has any interest in the place is welcome to come along for a good old yarn.

Tracey and John at the Inn will be serving home cooked food at a reasonable price.

You can get there by walking the Wherryman's Way along the river wall from Great Yarmouth or Reedham, by train from Yarmouth or Norwich and by boat.

Sheila Hutchinson

01508 492239.

Can someone please explain the reason why there is still a car parking fee at the Beach Road Car Park in Caister when the Gorleston one remains free. Surely this cannot be justified. I am quite sure that the local Caister residents are more than fed up with cars being parked outside their premises when the car park remains virtually empty.

Although so much has been written about this subject over quite a long period, to date, no action has been taken to rectify this. The residents of Caister and our visitors are being treated most unfairly.

Jim Woodcock

Villarome

Caister-on-sea

IF GREAT Yarmouth Borough Council is worried about lost revenue for the Caister beach car park, why are they not concerned about Gorleston cliffs?

Cars at the Gorleston car park out number those at Caister three to one but Gorleston continues to be free.

J HAMBLING

Caister

I have lived in Caister for 28 years. We don't get a regular road sweeper around Eastern Avenue and Charles Close. Just because Prince Philip came down they swept the car park by the lifeboat and tidyied all the grass up, just because of one person. Why is it that they can do it for him but they can't do it for the local people who pay the council tax?

Peter Jones,

Eastern Avenue,

Caister

IT WAS marvellous to read that a blue plaque has been unveiled to the Royal Naval Air Service stationed here during the first world war, especially after the last hut on South Denes had to be pulled down a few years ago.

It was also interesting to learn that the veteran Henry Allingham, who was in the squadron, had married a local girl who he had met in church.

Captain Egbert Cadbury, of the same squadron and who shot down a Zeppelin off the town, eventually married Mary, the daughter of Rev Forbes Phillips, the then vicar of Gorleston.

CECILIA EBBAGE

Lovewell Road

Gorleston

I THINK Pontins holiday camp in Hemsby would make a good site for building houses for first time buyers, similar to those on Barleycroft in the village.

It would then all be residential this side of the crossroads, leaving all holiday places on the other side.

M BROWN

Ormesby Road

Hemsby