Anything goes: Sir, - In the mid-1990s, having decided that a "more strategic approach to the after-use of quarries" was needed, North Yorkshire County Council abandoned its policy of restoration of quarried land to agricultural use when it spawned the Swale and Ure Washlands Project (spearheaded by the Lower Ure Conservation Trust).

Its purpose was to apply a green-wash over the destruction of the landscape by creating large water-filled craters in the wake of Tarmac's diggers, euphemistically calling them "nature reserves".

The incestuous nature of this alliance of quarry companies, the county council and environmental bodies is well documented, as is the LUCT's track record of environmental mismanagement. Indeed their main aquatic achievement appears to be their ability not to rock the boat.

The LUCT was set up to produce a minerals restoration strategy/biodiversity action plan and, unsurprisingly, this advises creating "ten new water bodies exclusively for wildlife purposes".

On the subject of Tarmac's proposal for mineral extraction at Ladybridge, a county council spokesman has incorrectly stated that the concentration today was more on the after-use of quarrying, rather than on the destruction of farmland.

Relating to this destruction of the best and most versatile land, the county's policy is based on obsolete advice from the Government that "the proposal is not regarded as significant in terms of the national agricultural interest". This is superseded by MPS2 and MPG7 which advise that consultees take into account the cumulative loss of land to quarrying: "Where minerals underlie the best and most versatile agricultural land it is particularly important that restoration and aftercare preserve the long-term potential of the land as a national, high quality, agricultural resource."

It is to be hoped that it takes advice from another statutory consultee on the matter, English Heritage, which advises: "English Heritage further advises that the proposed after-use strategy is an inappropriate landscape treatment with regard to the setting of the monument complex, particularly with regard to the accumulated impact of another body of water on the visual setting of the henges."

Granting of planning permission for this application would send a clear message to all mineral operators and communities surrounded by sand and gravel in North Yorkshire that operators need have no regard for policies on high grade agricultural land, preferred areas, size of extensions, archaeological sites, landscape and communities - provided that they plant a few reeds and trees on exhausted sites.

V L LONSDALE

Kiln Farm,

Nosterfield.

Hall disgrace

Sir, - Wear Valley District Council's claims to care about promoting local tourism are contradicted by the unacceptable condition of the historically significant Binchester Hall, immediately opposite one of the region's major visitor sites, the Binchester Roman Fort. Repeated vandalism to the hall has made the approach to the fort an eyesore, while the condition of the hall itself, strewn within and roundabout with broken glass and other more noxious rubbish, poses a health and safety danger to adults and children alike.

The present owners of the hall have not responded to requests to board up the building or make it secure; the police have not succeeded in bringing anyone to book for the vandalism; Wear Valley District Council has neglected its statutory duty to serve an enforcement notice on the owners, and also compounds this neglect by failing to deter persistent flytipping at the verges of the approach road to the fort, the latest incident consisting of 50 or more discarded vehicle tyres.

What does the council suggest it might do to address these problems, and to make good in this instance its claim to be promoting local tourism and the local economy?

ROB LOWE

Irchester House,

Westbrook.

Clean to me

Sir, - I wish to take issue with your correspondent, R Brown, with regard to the letter entitled "Hospital cleaning" (D&S, Aug 4) about cleanliness at James Cook University Hospital.

In the summer of 2005, I had two spells on ward 36 and while agreeing with your correspondent's praise regarding the quality of staff, his description of the cleanliness of ward 36 bears no resemblance to the clean ward when I was there; neither did I find anything wrong with the food. In fact the various other parts of James Cook, where I have been over the last few months, always appeared to be in a very good state of cleanliness.

PETER F R JACKSON

Rambler Cottage,

Knayton, Thirsk.

What next?

Sir, - I write about the behaviour of the animal right activists at the circus in Thirsk. These people have no respect for anybody but themselves. One man was repeatedly jumping in front of cars waving a placard - a woman was shouting abuse on a loud speaker. We went to the circus with our grandchildren and enjoyed a lovely show, the animals were all in superb condition and no animal was in any way mistreated.

These animal rights people do not understand animals; if it's not the circus, it's the hunt. I wonder what next, maybe dogs and cats in people's homes or even goldfish in a bowl. They would be better off minding their own business and stopping complaining.

J MOORE

Dowber Court,

Thirsk.

Lost and found

Sir, - A black leather purse (no money in it, I'm afraid) was found at the recent kite festival on Richmond racecourse on July 22-23, which belonged to some lucky soul who may have stayed at the Qawra Palace Hotel in Malta, on the Qawra Coast Road recently and purchased a three-day bus ticket in Malta, on May 5! Also a silver ring with bluey-grey stone. If either of these are yours, please contact Sue on (01748) 825732.

SUE HOLDEN

Town in crisis

Sir, - I am writing about the state of Darlington town centre. Eleven years ago, this same council dug up Skinnergate and the market to lay a cobbled surface. The work took over a year and many independent traders went out of business. Independent retailers could not survive the downturn in their takings.

Skinnergate has never recovered from the council's scheme 11 years ago.

Now this same council are doing exactly the same all over again but including High Row and Low Flags. The town centre is quiet and empty. Everywhere there are notices in shop windows saying "retirement sale" and "business closing down". There are empty shops to let.

Charity shops are disguising the great damage that has been done to Darlington as a retail centre. They take up 15 shops which would otherwise be empty.

On top of this there are the new very expensive parking charges on Darlington's streets. The major changes to the bus routes are also killing trade in large parts of the town centre. They leave semi-disabled pensioners at the wrong side of the town. They are often now left far away from the shops and market stalls in which they would choose to shop.

The strong competition from out of town retail parks is too much for our independent retailers in the town centre. People do not want to pay parking charges. They can go elsewhere and park for free. They step out of their cars walking a few yards to buy things they want. This is why people use retail parks.

Darlington Council must slash parking charges and refund the commercial rates to town centre businesses now. This is an emergency. Darlington has little future as a retail centre unless action is taken immediately.

NIGEL BODDY

St Cuthbert's Place,

Cleveland Avenue,

Darlington.

T'lass hits back

Sir, - Well hi guys, John Heslop and Colin Weaver (D&S, Aug 11), basically suggesting "T'lass knows nowt!" in response to my "unscientific", badly spelt (irradiate when I meant eradicate) but passionate plea for the farming community to actually study the causes for a reported increase in bovine TB. I will not climb down - badgers are not the only cause and are just being used as a scapegoat. Killing everything that causes a problem is not the answer.

Yes, my mistake - I know that bovine TB is caused by the mycobacterium bovis, but got muddled up when I tried to reduce my original "thesis" to an acceptable 400 words for this paper. However, diseases caused by clostridia found in pastures include the infamous clostridium botulinum (implicated in grass sickness of horses), and then you have leprosy, HIV, candida, listeria, salmonella, malaria etc. All are members of this insidious family of ironmonger pathogens to which TB belongs (Weinberg 1999) but not found in pastures necessarily. In other words, TB is there, in the pasture soil.

Would you both like to address the point I made, not from my own research, that there is a correlation between areas of high mycobacterium incidence in regions where the soils are acid? All the mammals that graze on these iron rich pastures can be at risk of TB in this case.

As a registered nurse of 47 years' standing, I did actually nurse human patients with TB, both pulmonary and in other areas of the body, in the 1950s. Likewise, TB diseased individuals used to be regularly treated with the iron-chelating compound p-aminosalicylate with some success. As with human subjects, prevention is better than cure.

I rest my case, guys, but I doubt you will!

ELIZABETH BARCLAY

Rainbows End,

Ure Bank Top,

Ripon.

Live thanks

Sir, - I would like to express my thanks to all the volunteers who worked so hard (and have worked throughout the year fundraising for the event) to make Richmond Live such a great day for so many people. I was disappointed not to see more coverage of the event in your paper.

The event went off very peacefully and so many people of all age groups came to the event to share a happy, creative experience.

HELEN HARPER

Castle Hill,

Richmond.

My thanks

Sir, - May I, through your paper, say a big thank you to all at the Friarage Hospital. Recently I had a cataract operation there. From my first entering the day unit, everybody was so pleasant and helpful. They did all they could to make my short stay comfortable. Everything was fully explained. Prior to my visit I was quite apprehensive but the apprehension was soon dispelled on my arrival.

So thank you once again.

DOREEN TURNER

Dowber Way

Thirsk

Depth charge

Sir, - I have been teaching boys and girls fly tying for some ten to 15 years, thanks to Great Ayton Workingmen's Club allowing me to use part of the premises free of charge. The lessons were also free to the children.

I have now given up this practice, owing to the Environment Agency not doing anything about the River Leven in the Great Ayton area, despite repeated requests for action about the state of the river. The only reply I get is: "We are too busy with flood defences."

All the children I have taught have been told to buy a rod fishing licence from the agency, but they do not get anything back, except watching the ducks walk up and down the river. This is due to the lack of water.

When I came to live and work in this village in 1979, the river always had plenty of water, but over the years the river has filled with silt from farmland and the development of the Friends' School in the village.

The main reason I am putting pen to paper is, over the last two years, I have had to turn down offers of sponsorship for putting brown trout in the river while the children are on holiday from school. The fish would have been a takeable size (10½ins) and they would have numbered 250. This would have given the children something to do during the six weeks they are on holiday, instead of roaming the streets and getting a bad name for themselves. There is little enough for them to do as it is.

The river, opposite the ice-cream shop, Hollygarth, Stone Bridge and Marwood School, has been left with unfishable water.

I am often stopped in the village by children asking when they are going to do something about the river, and are the fly tying classes going to start again.

I am copying this letter to some people who I hope can help us, but in the meantime we will continue to watch the ducks walk on water.

PETER ROBINSON

Cleveland Street,

Great Ayton.

Missing facts

Sir, - I was surprised to read Couns Tranter and Monck's criticism of the recent by-election in Yarm for two reasons. Firstly, it amazes me that these two local politicians actually believe that co-opting people on to the town council is preferable to having a democratic election; this shows a striking arrogance and contempt for the electorate and the democratic process.

Secondly, both Coun Tranter and Coun Monck seem to be frequently sending letters to this paper which are highly political in their nature. This is no bad thing in itself but if they are going to write in for purely political reasons, then it does surprise me that they simultaneously hide their own party political affiliations. Simon Tranter is Labour town councillor and Peter Monck is a Liberal Democrat, facts that are consistently omitted as they sign off their letters.

That they seek to hide these affiliations when attacking the Conservative borough councillors shows without doubt that their motivation is to cause trouble politically, rather than serving the interests of Yarm residents.

I do hope that Couns Monck and Tranter will read this and instead of firing off yet anther letter in response, will instead spend the time working for the people of Yarm, as they were elected to do. I rather doubt it will be the case, however, and I expect to see a politically driven reply appear in the near future.

It is telling that Andrew Sherris, Brian Jones and Jennie Beaumont, who as the Conservative borough councillors, the primary target of their attacks, are too busy working for residents to rise to the bait and engage in the politicking that has dominated these pages in the past few weeks.

JAMES WHARTON

Chairman,

Stockton Conservatives.

Durham Tees Valley Business Centre,

Orde Wingate Way,

Stockton.

Band call

Sir, - It's 21st birthday time for Thirsk Royal British Legion Band this year. We're trying to trace past players and helpers to invite them to our celebration at the end of September.

Many youngsters have progressed through the band and moved away to work or college, while other people have moved on and we have no contact details.

So, if anyone reading this can provide contact names and addresses so we can send out their invitations, please phone Maureen or John Worley (band president) on (01845) 523511. Thanks for your help.

JENNY NAISBITT

Publicity officer

Kings Meadows,

Sowerby,

Thirsk.