Readers' letters - July 21

If the NHS didn’t have enough problems, it is now reported it is having to spend a record amount on treating obesity – more than £1bn a year. That is more than is spent on providing hip operations for the elderly.

It is said by obesity experts that sedentary lifestyles and excessive food consumption has given to a rise in lifestyle diseases which is putting the NHS under an intolerable strain.

What with fast food outlets at every corner and fish and chip shops in between, it is very difficult for a person to keep to a controlled diet every day of 2,000 calories.

Exercise is essential if you are to keep slim and healthy, but with lifestyles so fast, people say they just do not have time to exercise regularly, so this problem will continue until legislation is brought in to control eating habits.

It has now come to our attention that drugs prescribed to treat diabetes has almost doubled in one decade, the figures show spending on such treatment, combined with that for weight loss drugs and indigestion remedies, has now topped £1bn – a 65 per cent rise in 10 years.

By comparison, the NHS only spends £900m on hip operations and these are only offered to those with severe pain.

Recently obesity campaigners said couch-potato lifestyles were crippling the health service and more people are having gastric bands fitted by surgery for obesity and more people are asking their GPs for weight-reducing drugs.

It is now time to instruct councils to run more public health campaigns to monitor people’s weight and blood pressure.

A few councils are doing this, but every council must improve the population’s health or our NHS will grind to a halt.

John Wilmott

via email

SOCIETY

I fully support smoking policy

Re: letter by ‘A smoker of 35 years’ (LP Letters July 13). You chose to be anonymous and it sounds as though you are very strongly apposed to the smoking ban.

The smoking ban in indoor public places was introduced 10 years ago for non-smokers’ rights not to have to passive smoke when they use the indoor public places.

May this policy remain with us forever.

I am a lifelong non-smoker who wished not to be forced to be a passive smoker.

Smokers have no right to force non-smokers to passive smoke.

Even before the smoking ban was introduced in 2007, it was manners for smokers to ask non-smokers if they minded if they smoked when they were in the same place together. If a non-smoker wished for the smoker to go somewhere else to smoke, it was manners to respect the non-smoker’s wishes.

Before 2007, non-smokers were forced to passive smoke in most indoor public places whether they liked it or no, and if they didn’t like it, they could choose to stay out of these indoor public places.

This was very unfair for non-smokers who didn’t like passive smoking.

I don’t think that the smoking ban is to blame for some pubs closing down.

It is the smokers who choose to give up going to the pub because they can’t smoke inside the pub.

Smokers are welcome to come to pubs and smoke outside the pub and only come inside when not smoking.

Smokers ought to smoke where and when they can keep their habit to themselves.

Passive smoking can do a lot of harm to non-smokers.

Thousands of non-smokers have been put into an early grave by passive smoking.

Entertainer Roy Castle, who passed away in 1994, never smoked and was put into an early grave by passive smoking.

Smokers who campaign for the smoking ban to be scrapped are being selfish.

If smokers smoke in designated smoking areas without forcing their habit on non-smokers, then smokers have every right to do so.

Non-smokers must accept that.

Dick Appleyard

via email

society

People have lost respect

The more I read the press and listen to the news, the more I fear for our beloved Britain.

There is a recent report in the media that an ex-Liberal leader, who was once jointly in charge of our Government, is advocating the destruction of democracy by proposing that we should have another Brexit referendum and that all voters under 39 should get two votes.

Former leaders of a once great party, the Liberal party, like Gladstone, Asquith and, to a lesser extent, Churchill, would turn in their graves if they knew what the present day lot were up to.

Politics apart, this great nation of ours was brought up on morality and living by the laws of Nature, and it has stood us in good stead.

I am afraid today that the laws of Mother Nature have been “kicked into touch”.

I am sure that free-to-view pornography on the internet is leading to an increase in sexual crimes across the country and is readily available to our children.

Now we have vile abuse floating across the airwaves towards MPs and other people of note by people with chips on their shoulders who are not fit to be living in a civilised society.

The British used to be noted for respect towards their fellow men and good manners.

Where has it all gone?

John Watson

Address supplied

heritage

Don’t spoil theatre gem

I recently visited Chorley Little Theatre (pictured inset) out of curiosity. I visited a second time just for the joy of being there.

What a gem you have.

From entering the building, buying a ticket from the small box office, to taking a seat in the 100-year-old seats, it took me back to an earlier age.

The management seem determined to remove these seats – wooden upholstered bucket seats with cast iron legs and cast iron decorative end plates.

I am disabled but I found the seats very comfortable and I was able to get from one aisle to another with ease.

To my mind, the theatre is an important part of Chorley’s history and our heritage.

How could they?

Does anyone feel the same?

M Robinson

Lower Ince

Near Wigan

poverty

Thoughtless sentiment

Re: Child hunger summer plea.

Thank you C Cross for

the sound common sense of your letter (LP Letters, July 19).

There is far too much cheap political point scoring and thoughtless sentiment on this matter

Mac

Penwortham