Readers' letters - December 23

Adopt Finland's homeless target

The United Kingdom remains one of the most charitable nations on the planet, helping both nationally and internationally.

Our Armed Forces have often been called upon to help out after natural and man-made disasters.

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It is thus with anguish that I heard thousands of ex-soldiers, who were made redundant during the last Labour and Coalition (Lib Dem-Tory) Governments, are facing a perilous life on the streets of Manchester, Glasgow, and London, amongst many other locations.

Please spare a thought for them during this glad time of Yuletide and, if you possibly can donate a fiver or more, there are some excellent charities to help.

These include the official Armed Forces Charity, the SSAFA, which has identified some working age veterans in pretty dire circumstances through no fault of their own.

The number to ring is 0800 731 4880 or contact them on www.ssafa.org.uk.

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Likewise, if you know of any ex-servicemen needing help or you are able to offer other forms of assistance, please contact them.

There is something wrong with a society where this kind of things happen and not just as a one-off misadventure.

There is something wrong with a political class who seem incapable in helping such worthy individuals.

Finland has recently adopted a policy of zero homelessness for native born Finns, and the results have been dramatic.

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Once a person is homeless then everything else spins out of control.

Here’s hoping that in 2017 England can adopt Finland’s modest target.

Edward Johnson

Address supplied

traffic

Issues with work on M61

The motorist having the troubles with long delays at traffic lights along Eastway and Cottam has my sympathy (LEP Letters, December 14).

The Department of Transport has a lot to answer for.

Many years ago when the M6, the first motorway, was successfully finished and opened, the powers-that-be decided that a spur should be built, the M61, which had its beginnings on the farmland at the corner of Brown Lane in Bamber Bridge.

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Because M6 workers had used the motorway itself to carry the necessary equipment and soil and so on, it did not impinge on the residents of Brown Lane apart from the noise, so we were unprepared for the mayhem caused by this new motorway.

Brown Lane had been just that, a lane which serviced two farms, one on the same side of the lane I lived on, and the other at what is now the end of our section, for the lane had a right angle triangle, the point of which was adjacent to the M6.

The weather was beastly. It rained and rained. The huge wheeled wagons bringing hard core, et cetera, traversed Brown Lane to the site and when they were full that was okay.

The problem was that the four huge back wheels on each truck got bogged down in the mud as it dumped the contents.

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It then turned around and sped up the lane, empty, but the mud was flung from between these back wheels and, with the rain, was liquefied.

It filled the lane from kerb to kerb and splashed the yellow mud high into the air, splattering the cream rendering and ensuring that the garden footpaths were as muddy as the road and, no matter what, people trod mud into the houses, on carpets and stairs and, as it dried, the curtains and upholstery became filthy.

I quickly realised that it was the empty wagons causing the mayhem so, if these lorries, about six or seven every working minute, were taken towards Cottage Lane, the liquid mud would be just on the grassy verge and the pollution would not inconvenience the residents.

So, suitably attired with wellingtons, I made my way to the site office, which was where Nelson’s Farm Buildings had been, demanded to see the site foreman, and politely asked to speak to the site manager.

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Very unwillingly, he came, and I put to him the proposal that the empty lorries went along the other stretch for we had no issue with the full ones, but he refused to consider this.

It was a longer run, he said, and fuel cost money.

So it did but 30 yards was only a small length and, if they were unwilling to consider this, he could look forward to receiving a monster bill from the 30 or 40 residents affected for redecoration of the houses. Repainting the rendering on the tops of the houses, washing off the paint on the pipes, et cetera, cleaning and possibly replacement of all carpets and soft furnishings on the lower floor.

I realised he was not interested, so I approached the Lancashire Evening Post, who were wonderful. They came and took photographs and supported our request and voila, it was finally agreed.

The thing is, if you have a combined complaint and a financial reason the Ministry of Transport would need to meet, it is quite possible you could put pressure on them to change tactics.

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I am sure the road users are so fed up with the lack of concern, they would band together to insist their views be considered. Think about it.

Incidentally, when it was proposed to widen the M6 by another lane, I was prepared and went to the solicitor and got him to make representations with the contractors that no heavy vehicles would bring their contents to or from the site and would have to use the part of Brown Lane I had indicated earlier.

He obtained this promise so when the work began and two lorries made their way past my house, I spoke to the solicitor and he took action and had a NO HEAVY MACHINERY notice put at the entrance to Brown Lane and all was well.

Mrs Gwendoline Taylor

Bamber Bridge

industry

Strikes are political

Chris Moncrieff’s View from Westminster hit the nail on the head (LEP December 20). Leaders of certain trades unions are using politically motivated strikes to try to undermine the legitimately elected government of the day. Their action does not affect the Government but does affect other workers going about their daily business or their Christmas holidays.

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There have also been reports of cancer patients cancelling their treatments as they could not attend hospital because of the rail strikes in the capital (brings back the memory of the 1980s issue of relatives unable to bury their dead because of Liverpool local authority strikers).

In the 1980s, miners union strikers, “The Enemy within”, as the greatest British PM Margaret Thatcher referred them to, were defeated, as will the latest Soviet loving trade union leaders.

Your outdated socialist workers’ dream society doesn’t exist, never has and never will. The people of this great country cherish democracy not the evil socialist totalitarian examples of North Korea you dream of. I say to these trade union political dinosaurs, take a plane to your socialist dream states, you’re not wanted here.

Bernard Darbyshire

via email