Planning rejection

AFTER reading the article “Caravan site owner loses his appeal over soil bund” (D&S Times, Mar 20) concerning the soil safety mound constructed by Shaun Carroll to safeguard his campers from serious injury or worse, by traffic crashing through his fence into his camping site, I am not surprised at the result of his retrospective planning application and appeal being turned down.

After all, protecting the panorama is far more important than public safety.

However, it must be reassuring for Mr Carroll that should there be a serious accident caused by a vehicle crashing through the fence into his campsite then surely planning inspector Michael Cryan must ultimately be responsible when it comes to any litigation.

It is quite possible this could all end in tears.

Trevor Mason, Swainby

Asian flu

ALTHOUGH it’s not the same thing, the coronavirus has put flu back on the agenda.

It was the summer of 1957, the year of the Asian flu epidemic. I was camping, during the school holidays, at the Sutton Coldfield World Boy Scouts’ Jamboree, as a member of the Ormesby 25th Middlesbrough ‘Pathfinders’ troop.

Unfortunately, I was among the first to contract Asian flu and was confined to the sick bay for ten days.

I was semi-conscious when the doctor did his rounds with our regular nurse. They stood over my bed and, thinking I couldn’t hear, the nurse said: "It's a wonder he’s not dead. His temperature's 104." I was feeling so ill, I wasn't too concerned but I've never forgotten it.

I recovered and, returning home, it was time to begin the new term. Then, all my classmates fell ill with flu and had an extra "holiday". I, of course, was immune and got no days off.

"Why did I have to have flu in the holidays?" I complained. "Why not in term time like everybody else?"

Now I realise I was lucky to survive a bad attack of Asian flu, when many did not. A sobering thought.

Steve Kay, Redcar & Cleveland councillor

Other news

THERE’S only one good side from the covid-19 outbreak – I don't have to listen too much of the climate change news. I’ve heard that for over ten years and I'm utterly sick of it.

I see that I'll not get to hear of Middlesbrough Football club – no games until April 4, at least. I've liked the London Marathon as that has been put back until October and now the Olympics have been postponed as well

One more thing, I'm not getting to hear about the Labour party leadership contest– perhaps on April 4 – we won't be told on who is going to replace Jeremy Corbyn.

Of your readers aged 40 or older, how many can recall November 1980 when Michael Foot, at 67 was elected Labour leader, five years ago, Mr Corbyn got Labour top job at a similar age.

David Nicholson, Rothbury, Northumberland

Milestones

1889: Introduction of A/C current throughout USA and Europe, onset of a flu pandemic to last four years.

1918: The introduction of radio transmitters to assist in the war effort. Spanish flu epidemic

1944: Marconie introduced wireless telegraph on The Isle of Wight. Ninety per cent of bees are found dead.

1957/58: The introduction of civil defence radar surveillance systems. Worldwide Asian flu epidemic.

1968: Launch of 28 military satellites for space surveillance, including Sputnik. Hong Kong flu.

1978: The withdrawal of AM broadcasting. Incidence of breast, prostate and lung cancer decreases.

1994-2002: A 75 per cent decline in UK sparrow population coincided with the introduction of cell phone technology.

1996/97: The launch of 2G – the first digital phone with pulsed radio frequency. In USA, 31 per cent rise in incidence of diabetes in just one year

2009: The launch of 4G. Swine flu

2019-2020: 5G. Covid-19.

Not forgetting to question the rising incidence in heart disease, neurological disorders, diabetes, cancer and EHS.

Chris Horner, Leyburn

5G warnings

IN August 2019, a host of prominent scientists warned that scientific literature provided strong evidence for 5G’s microwave and millimetre-wave emissions to have “a systemic effect on immune function" and "accelerated viral replication” in a formal review article.

The scientists’ warnings were ignored by industry and government last summer – and this status persists even now when we are in the midst of a pandemic following the rollout of 60ghz 5G in China.

This association cannot be proven but will no doubt be investigated for years to come.

We could however take precautionary action based on the possibility/probability of a connection.

There is a mountain of literature showing that electromagnetic radiation, including non-ionising frequencies, and at levels below those that cause thermal effects (heating) – causes physiological effects, injury and cell death – not only in humans but many animals and plants.

Unsurprisingly, industry has sought – against the tide of evidence to the contrary – to maintain that radiation must be ionising or heating to cause injury.

5G could be safe. If it is wired (Ethernet) it will be safe. Can we not apply foresight in this instance rather than risk hindsight as in tobacco, Mercury, lead, asbestos etc.

The EM Radiation Trust put the government on notice in October 2019 which means they can be held responsible when 5G is proven to cause harm – they cannot say they did not know of any evidence.

I intend to put North Yorkshire County Council on notice in the same way if 5G is given the go ahead in the Dales

Brenda Adey, Marske

Sci-fi or fact?

THOSE of us of a certain age might, and should remember a TV series called "The Survivors" written by, I think, Terry Nation, about a virus pandemic which starts in China and spreads round the world wiping out three quarters of the population. Ring any bells?

Well I certainly do, and I had several sleepless nights after watching it. Science fiction wasn't it?

Once again science fiction becomes science fact.

Do what the Government advises to limit the spread or this could indeed become fact.

Malcolm Stephenson, Thornaby

Care needs you

LAST week in response to the covid-19 outbreak the Government called upon retired nurses and doctors to return to work with the line "your NHS needs you".

Care England, the largest representative body for independent providers of adult social care, is complementing this message, "social care needs you too".

The adult social care sector too will require the support of the nation in the coming months if it is to continue to support some of society’s most vulnerable at these most worrying of times. We encourage those who are willing and able, to do so by joining the adult social care workforce.

Our message is that social care is still open for business – social care needs your help.

Firstly, we call upon retired staff with experience in the adult social care sector to engage in this national effort to keep social care operational.

Secondly, those who are currently not working; particularly those in catering, hospitality or air travel, as a result of the outbreak are encouraged to support the adult social care sector.

In addition, we encourage the UK’s population to utilise the provisions made within the Coronavirus Bill with regards to ‘Emergency Volunteering Leave’.

Lastly, if you have previously worked in the social care sector, there has never been a more important time for your skills and knowledge to be reclaimed.

If you’re in one of these groups – social care needs you.

Many providers have noted that they already see rising levels of COVID-19 related absences. This combined with the already extremely high levels of vacancy rates in the adult social care sector has the potential to create a perfect storm for the sector. However, with your help we can act to avert such a reality and the negative implications it would have upon some of society’s most vulnerable individuals.

Professor Martin Green, chief executive, Care England

Shocking behaviour

I WORK in a supermarket and wish I could tell you that the current coronavirus crisis has brought out the best in people.

I’m sure there has been some wonderful gestures made to help the less able, but I have yet to see them.

I have seen ridiculous scenes of a pallet of toilet rolls being literally attacked as they were being brought out onto the shop floor, people ripping off the plastic and just grabbing as many as they could with no thought for anyone else including the colleague.

Colleagues and managers being threatened and sworn at for trying to enforce the three item rule.

A young girl crying because her baby needed Calpol and there was none to buy, an elderly, fragile man staring forlornly at a completely empty bakery aisle, and contemplating whether to buy the ripped open brown loaf, contents strewn on the floor, just so he had something.

When you witness all this you realise we have not moved on very far in our so called civilised society.

If you can stand, as a six-ft burly, tattooed man, abusing and jostling a tiny shop floor colleague because she wouldn’t let you take ten packs of toilet rolls, and dozens of boxes of tissues, then hang your head in shame.

Name and address supplied

Loo roll shortage

WHO’D have thought the most sought after items in 2020 would be rolls of toilet paper.

Locating loo rolls is becoming a full-time job with folk trekking to the top of town and right to the bottom.

Tesco is usually good for stock as their cushion soft deluxe brands never sell out, we know us locals do not like to flush good money down the drain.

But even their stock has been wiped out.

For the desperate log onto the internet – £15 for a pack of 9.

And for the very desperate search Google for ideas of what folk used before the mass manufacturing of toilet paper: leaves, ferns, corn cobs, fruit skins, moss – even shells!

Redcar beach here I come.

Stephen Dixon, Redcar

Police bottle

THE police are going to be able quarantine people they suspect of having coronavirus under emergency powers being rolled out (Echo, Mar 20).

This made me remember some labels that I found in my father’s belongings.

He was a dispensing chemist and kept all sorts of things from the shops that he had over the years.

In a tin box full of odds and ends, I found this complete unopened packet of labels for “Police Bottle” from when he had a shop in Sunderland in the 1950s.

Apparently in the Spanish Flu epidemic of 1918 the police went around with the “Police Bottle”, which contained Liquorice Phenol Chlorodyne, and a dessert spoon to administer the contents to people where they saw fit.

Ruth Harmer, Darlington

Water usage

ONE of the consequences of defeating Coronavirus is the certainty that anyone following the government advice will see a huge increase in the amount of water they use, from much more regular handwashing to more cleaning down of surfaces and by drinking both cold and hot drinks much more often than usually

To ensure that people aren’t dissuaded from following the really good advice it is essential that water companies don’t force people – especially those on water meters – to choose between safety and poverty

To that end the government should immediately instruct the companies to commit to not charging any more for water consumption than customers have paid on average over the last year.

Their profits and accounts are such that they can easily absorb this short term loss and it would do them a power of good with the people of this country

If they choose to put their profits before the health and well-being of us all then that should lead to their losing their franchises at the earliest possible moment, if necessary, through emergency legislation

After all are we all in this together or not?

Dave Anderson, Middleton in Teesdale