Readers' letters - July 6

Badger vaccination has got to be a step in the right direction to get rid of bovine TB (tuberculosis), but is it too little?

From Government figures, 84 per cent of transmission of bovine TB is by cattle to cattle contact, 10 per cent is from other sources (deer, foxes, rabbits, etc) and six per cent is attributed to badgers re-infecting.

So why do we not vaccinate the cattle?

Because it would not be possible to export 
any of them or the associated products after vaccination.

The reactive skin test used to detect the disease was developed in 1923, but not made compulsory until 1959 when there was widespread outbreak of bovine TB, and if one animal proved positive then the whole herd was culled, eliminating any further transmission from that source.

By 1971 the disease had been cleared with the exception of Devon and Cornwall, almost eradicated in the UK.

What changed?

At this time the Government, through MAFF, decided to only cull the actual infected cattle, thereby jumping the gun.

Bovine TB is a very contagious and unpredictable disease and testing twice within 60 days does not always reveal the infected animals. Look at the spread across the UK on year by year maps of infections and you will see how it progresses from the Lands End vicinity.

Vaccinating six per cent of the cause will not do very much to rid us of bovine TB.

Ron Riley

Carnforth

development

Long-term costs to plan

Re: Ingol Golf Club development. Mr Hemmings is now launching his fourth planning application to build houses on north Preston’s open space.

This has nothing to do with PNE Football Club.

The football club is just a conduit for the owner to profit from building 460 houses, with the club benefiting by receiving a training facility.

If Mr Hemmings had truly wanted to progress the club to the Premiership, he would have included them in the first two appeals.

He didn’t.

He only included them after losing those appeals.

The club and Mr Hemmings were granted permission to build the training facility, so why don’t they do it?

The reason being Mr Hemmings seems to want to destroy the open space to benefit the club and himself.

As much as I want to see PNE FC in the Premiership, there are long-term costs to the environment that I’m not prepared to pay.

This land has been designated as open space and the council upheld that on three occasions.

Now it has come to the fourth appeal, they need to remain strong and determined.

The right decision is to protect north Preston from the urban sprawl that is happening here.

One piece of land set aside among the growing urbanisation of Ingol, Tanterton and Cottam is a small price to pay.

Say no to the houses.

Derek Straker

via email

development

Take what’s been offered

Re: Ingol Golf Club.

Why does the Lancashire Post give open support to PNE, following the refusal of planning permission for the whole development?

It is like giving free press coverage to a business in the, no doubt, eventual appeal.

Since when did LP become experts?

I have no problem with LP supporting worthwhile causes but this does not come into that category. Let them fight their own battle.

They can have their training ground, just not the houses.

Everyone knows Trevor Hemmings has wanted to develop the land for ages and is now using the PNE bandwagon.

Anyway, how on earth would it cost £14m to lay a few pitches and build the ‘state-of-the-art’ gymnasium?

If he/PNE are so confident of their Premier League ambitions, then just get on with what has been offered and count your Premier League riches when you get there.

P SMITHSON

Fulwood

nostalgia

Summer in 1945

Sadly, last month, my sister’s oldest friend died just before her 82nd birthday.

My sister, Sheila, although she has lived in Cheshire more than 40 years, always kept in touch with, and visited, her old friend Sheila Vernon (nee Southworth), along with other ladies, who were all brought up in and around Hammond Street in

Preston.

So she and her husband duly arrived, and we attended the funeral.

Nostalgically, we decided to re-visit our old street, but we found little to recognise.

Sheila remembered that, just at the end of the war, we were playing in the street when a street photographer took out photo.

After some searching, we came up with the photo (see Looking Back).

The back row is: Edna Emmett; Maurine Pearson; Maureen O’Neil and, with them, my boyhood mate, Ged Roach.

Kneeling is my sister Sheila, and Peggy O’Neal.

Front row: Brian Blackburn (visiting from Bloomfield Street); young Alec Westby; Brenda

Buckly and canine friend; and me!

The original photo has written on the back, Summer, 1945.

Most of the older children have now gone, including my mate Ged.

Sheila and I are still around, and I’m told Brenda is living in Canada.

Alec Westby is also with us, and I believe Brian Blackburn, like his father, became a regular soldier.

Sorry the photo hasn’t done too well since 1945, but who has?

Allan Fazackerley

Penwortham

travel

Politicians forget about transport

Transport forms a major part in most of our lives.

Yet rarely does it assume a prominent role in our politicians’ thinking.

So we simply let the amount of traffic on the roads grow, without thinking of alternatives and how to make them better.

No, I haven’t forgotten HS2, but that seems to be the aircraft carrier option which does little to deal with the problems of either parking or stop-start buses.

Perhaps there needs to be more input from the grassroots level, with the powers-that-be getting out of their chauffeur-driven cars to see what things are like

for us humble citizens.

Tim

Mickleburgh

via email