Readers’s letters, August 18 2017

We are writing in reply to the recent letters about seagulls. Why is it humans have to destroy as many wild creatures as possible. These birds have been connected with the sea since the beginning of time.

Yes they were useful when we had the fishing industry, clearing up the fish remains from the docks. But who was behind the decline of that, human beings. As Yarmouth is a seaside town we must expect sea birds. They come into the town for one reason - hunger.

They are large birds which need a fair amount of food. Only yesterday we had reason to come into town, as we walked across Palmers car park two large gulls were emptying a bin. Surely if they were emptied regularly the birds couldn’t get in to go through the rubbish.

If you stop and look at these birds close up they are indeed beautiful. They keep themselves clean, look after their young and generally keep away from us unless the hunger gets the better of them.

Like foxes and badgers, leave them alone and they have just as much right to live as we do. We are fed up hearing all these beautiful creatures should be destroyed because the human race, or should we say some, don’t like them.

S and G BURGESS

Gorse Close,

Belton

Gapton queues are just horrendous

With regard to Brad Payne’s email in last week’s Mercury, I too cannot understand what bright spark decided that box junctions would be a good idea. It’s now impossible to use Gapton Hall Road to access the Gapton Hall roundabout as the traffic queues are totally horrendous.

I can only assume that the person responsible doesn’t ever travel on this piece of road.

C L STEGGLES

Email

Pubs’ chance to show varieties

Although mid August may seem like a strange time for a Yarmouth pub to choose to close, the ever busy Troll Cart is to be shut for four months until just before Christmas.

But now is the opportunity for our other pubs nearby to step up and show what they can offer, which in my experience is a wide variety of beers, decor and food. I urge locals and landlords to go out and give each other a try again.

And if you do fancy somewhere different then take a look at the East Norfolk Camra website. There you will find suggested (Real) Ale Trails for Yarmouth and Gorleston along with some details of each pub. Also Camra runs another website called Whatpub which lists every pub in the country (including in Great Yarmouth and Gorleston). Go out and give the other places a try. I am sure you will be pleasantly surprised.

PATRICK SMITH

East Norfolk CAMRA

http://www.eastnorfolkcamra.org.uk/

I was shocked at gull’s habits

On my way home I spotted a gull eating a pigeon whole in front of my very own eyes. I was quite shocked to have seen this for myself and I know there has been loads of complaints about these birds. There is so many reasons why people complain about them.

They make a lot of mess after going through wheelie bins, eating pigeons alive, bomb diving members of the public, and the noise they make in early hours of the morning. Something has got to be done about this as they are becoming deadly killers by eating others birds and aggravating the members of the community.

GAVIN HARMAN

Wellington Road,

Great Yarmouth

Cyclists need to know the code

I often take my dog for a walk in the afternoon. We live on Burgh Road where a few years ago at great expense the council turned one side of the road into a cycle/pedestrian path. The other side of the road is not a cycle path but people still ride their bikes along it, ignoring the signs with a picture of a cycle on and the words “End of route”.

Not every path is a cycle path. Along Southtown Road all the road markings have recently been remarked, including a cycle path each side but still cyclists ride either on the pavements and on the raised path along the dock area. Even when they are in the right place they ignore red traffic lights as if they do not apply to them.

The council has spent money and rightly so on providing cyclists with proper routes, why then do they still think they have the right to cycle on pedestrian only paths. Please read your Highway Code before you go on the road it applies to you as well.

One last point on pavements, why do home owners let there hedges grow out from their properties and cut the width of paths in half in some cases. We have a corner by the junction of Burgh/Beccles road where the width of the cycle/pedestrian path is reduced by half because of the conifers going out from a property. It is very dangerous as it is right on a corner and is a blind corner as well.

PETE MARNEY

Burgh Road,

Gorleston

Roundabout could go on safari

Travelling from Lowestoft to Great Yarmouth and after negotiating the traffic lights at the James Paget hospital and Brazenose Avenue I came upon an era of forbiddance and threat. You got it - the roundabout at the junction of Lowestoft Road and Middleton Road.

Nearing it I had a feeling of regression. Regressing me back in time to the Jurassic Period, with a fear of something awful jumping out of the roundabout. Over the years as this has been evolving it hasn’t worried me. But now its getting so overrun that you cannot see over it, making it more a barrier to see over and making people hesitant when negotiating it due to the state of it.

Can a safari be sponsored to venture into it to see what is there? With all joking aside, can it be tidied up? The Vauxhall Bridge one after the boredom of the Acle Straight could do with brightening up, not for me but for the visitors to the area.

JACK DYE

Gonville Road,

Gorleston

Grumpy drivers spoil the journey

I have been reading with great interest the letters about bus drivers (August 11) and the various points put across. I have to say though my sympathies lie with Brenda Taylor as I have experienced this less than friendly attitude.

She is correct they do spoil it for the ones that are unfailingly pleasant, courteous and a credit to their very important work.

I had a very enlightening conversation with one driver who literally bowled me over with his cheery greeting and warm smile. So I said as I usually do, if you can do this why can’t the others who look downright miserable or oblivious, surely it is not rocket science.

He agreed but said because bus passers and I am one, just flash their cards on the machine there is little interaction required. I tend to disagree because I and many others automatically say thank you and are sometimes still met with a stony face and persona.

I admire Brenda Taylor’s chutzpah in making the driver respond with a “Good morning” back. What I tend to do is not say the obligatory thank you or cheers when getting off the bus, if I feel the driver has been lacking in manners or even downright rude.

I fully appreciate it is a stressful job with the ongoing traffic situation but the drivers, and I must say the majority of the women fall into this category, make it so much more pleasant, if they are. The journey is then a pleasure and it is a win-win situation.

I am sorry to tell drivers who do not subscribe to this, that they are in a customer facing environment and should act accordingly. I reiterate what Brenda Taylor said that you don’t actually have to do the job, if you are finding it so onerous. We don’t expect shop assistants or any other walks of life where people have to interact with others, not to be polite and friendly. This I am afraid does go with the territory and conversely passengers should also be polite themselves and not antisocial passengers. I would also say why are you supposed to remain seated allowing the bus to stop before getting off but this does not apply when you are getting on, and the scramble to find a seat, before the bus lurches off can be a nightmare, coinciding with the desperate need not to fall on someone’s lap inadvertently.

So let’s make a concerted effort to cheer up those drivers who would rather be anywhere else than sitting in that claustrophobic cab and remind them the significant army of “bus passers” have earned their free travel and really appreciate this privilege, and would love to exchange a cheery greeting and smile with you all.

JUDITH A DANIELS

Winifred Road,

Cobholm

Sunday concert was great success

On behalf of Soundwaves Community Singers, I would like to thank everyone for coming to our Silver Sunday concert which was a great success. Our grateful thanks also to the many local businesses who kindly donated raffle prizes including Thrigby Hall, The Norfolk Lions and the Mason’s Lodge of Confusion.

SHARON TURNER

Email

The bell tolls for Brexit boss

The news that Big Ben’s bongs have been silenced for four years is undoubtedly a disappointment to many, especially tourists for whom Big Ben is such a popular attraction. We are told this action has been taken to protect the hearing of the people who will be carrying out repair work, which seems to me to be a reasonable thing to do. However. David Davis, Brexit secretary, has called it “mad” and “hardly a health and safety argument” and the workers “should just get on with it”.

His comments are staggering in their arrogance and disregard for people’s health and deeply worrying from a senior member of the government. Davis is responsible for negotiating our exit from the EU and hopefully safeguarding our future but has shown that he has little regard for worker’s rights.

When some people indulge in the popular sport of criticising health and safety legislation they seem to forget that many of these laws actually save lives and protect worker’s health. Without them we would be stuck in the past when worker’s safety was disregarded and they were expected to “just get on with it.”

Many lives have been lost on building sites, and in the past, down coal mines and on oil rigs for example. Regulations are there to protect us, with the horrifying failure at Grenfell Tower being a tragic reminder to us all.

How can David Davis be trusted to negotiate our future when he can not be trusted with our safety?

CERI WALFORD

Hawthorn Crescent

Bradwell

We need main road back to normal

It was great to read the story in the Mercury in reference the proposed Regent Road development. Hopefully the borough council will use commonsense and approve the revised plans which strike a balance between commercial and residential development.

The town sorely needs Regent Road back to normal. This year both footfall and takings are significantly down for many businesses. My customers moan about the town centre and lack of decent shops and the state of the market which is failing as traders leave and in which the council seems disinterested in regenerating.

The town doesn’t need grand fancy plans, it needs a council that is prepared to sort out the fundamental problems first and worry about beautification later.

A good start would be to discount business rates for long term vacant shops. Sadly GYBC and our local MP, who championed the legislation that permits it, are completely disinterested.

The market could be reinvented by simply moving the planned open space in the new grand plan to the north end of the Market Place thus saving thousands of pounds in moving all the existing stalls.

The traders do not want to move so why not create the new open space at the quieter end of the market place and create more footfall in that area. If designed properly the new area could then be used for casual market traders which would improve the market and encourage local people into town. Of course that would mean the council changing their monopoly rule which prevents people trading on the two day market if the same trade already exists but surely if you want a vibrant market that offers value to consumers these archaic rules which prevent competition should be changed. Great Yarmouth needs a lot of TLC and sadly GYBC do not seem up for the challenge.

PAUL PLATTEN

The Jewellery Hut,

Regent Road

Store chain has killed village

Regarding Mr Basey’s Acle comments in last week’s Mercury. I totally agree. Sorry, Co-op have killed the centre of the village, the funeral parlour would have been better in the store they have moved into.

Now the council want us to support them to create a hub, put in a community-run shop for basic range things.

I don’t feel its right for the residents of Acle to pay more via the precept and to be told it would only sell Co-op products. If Co-op realise the centre could do with a small convenience shop, let the Co-op pay for it not us. As Mr Basey said come on Co-op do the decent thing.

I still feel we need some competition, Acle is big enough and growing.

PAT WATSON, Acle

Washed up pipes pose a menace

Reading your reports on these huge pipes washed ashore on our local beaches, so the coastguard say there is no danger from them.

It is obvious someone got there calculations and procedures wrong as this should never of happened.

These pipes when they are drifting around are a massive danger to small boats and yachts, never mind littering local beaches and disturbing local wildlife. I hope someone is held accountable, Marine Accident Investigation Branch get cracking and do your job.

R THURLOW

Jordan Road,

Caister