Confusion reigns over services

A blockage with dire consequences was evidently in the making. So at about 12.30pm we rang the number listed under 'Sewerage' in Craven District Council's handy services booklet.

Within a couple of hours a very helpful man from the environmental health department turned up, confirmed our worst fears and pointed us in the direction of United Utilities, who apparently handle such things.

We duly rang them at around 3pm and were told that someone would be round to sort out the problem.

About an hour later we had a call from a mobile asking if were Nelson Town Hall!

When pressed, the caller said he had been told to sort out our sewage problem but that he had been told the problem was at Nelson Town Hall and that "sorry, Settle's not my area."

He said he'd call his office back and tell them.

A short while later, United Utilities rang back to say that unfortunately our sewerage problems were not theirs, and that we should call Yorkshire Water.

Tracking down their Sewerage hotline - in between careful glances at the drain cover - we rang them to be told, after much soul-searching, that "they only handled the houses with even numbers on The Green!" and that our house had the misfortune to be an odd number in this bizarre sewage lottery.

Our problem, they said, really did belong to United Utilities, to whom we immediately returned.

One increasingly rancorous phone call later, they promised to send somebody out again - and this time not to Nelson Town Hall. And bingo, at around 9.15pm, a couple of helpful guys arrived and soon, with a satisfying squelch, sorted out the problem. And where were they from? Balfour Beatty!

I couldn't help noticing in Craven District Council's glossy new Community Strategy booklet that their plan is "to ensure better working between all the major public agencies, the private and voluntary sectors and the local community".

I can only hope that sewerage is somewhere high on this agenda or we'll all face the problem, like we were, of being caught between two stools, if you'll pardon the pun!

Martin Higham,

The Green,

Upper Settle.

SIR - It would seem those drivers most keen to keep our highways free from cameras, lower speed limits and humps in the road are the ones who are forcing the Government and local authorities to press ahead with any scheme that will reduce accidents.

Last Saturday on the Silsden to Keighley dual carriageway I was overtaken by a high speeding Volvo all lights ablaze.

After overtaking me it came up behind a Renault Clio, which was about to overtake a truck. Rather than wait his turn, he passed the Clio on the inside and returned to the outside lane to overtake the truck.

It was a maneouvre that a police car with blue flashing lights on an emergency call would have thought twice about. I am assuming it was 'he' as I do not believe any woman would drive as stupidly or recklessly.

There was a time when incidents such as this were a rarity. Now every time one ventures out onto the roads you see someone doing something dangerous, stupid or rude.

I live in a quiet village and was recently talking to an elderly neighbour who crossed the road slowing down a teenage driver, who cursed him and accelerated away shaking his head after being so badly inconvenienced.

If we do not take more responsibility for the way we drive and behave on the roads, the authorities will be forced to install cameras, speed humps and radar traps on all our roads and those nice sporty cars will become pointless things to own.

Mike Whitehead,

Prospect House, Cononley.

SIR - Isn't it interesting that as soon as the press profile a situation our council actually take some long needed action, action which should have been taken several years ago?

Until now they have adopted a passive position along the lines "It has nothing to do with us!" I refer to the shameful state of the area behind Superdrug highlighted in your article on March 26.

Presumably no sightings of rats in the area have been reported which, given the nature and amounts of rubbish dumped, I find rather surprising.

Having taken this up with the council twice in the past (initially as long ago as 2000 and regrettably to no avail), it is somewhat galling now to read the "holier than thou" comments reportedly made by a local councillor.

What the public want is more "doing" and less posturing and pontificating on such issues. I don't know about "doing something more aggressive", just doing something would be a step in the right direction wouldn't it?

It is encouraging to see the area has been cleaned up since your article showing the council do have the power to make a difference if they take the trouble to act when problems need to be solved (although it still leaves something to be desired).

Let us hope that the council now monitor the situation and ensure the area does not return to its previous unacceptable state. After all, our fine town is a tourist centre and the Gateway to the Dales and both visitors and residents expect and deserve better.

Interestingly the recent letter about the lack of clearance of rubbish from roadside verges is particularly ironic. The road from Skipton to Lothersdale also suffers from litter - the latest dumping being a load of leaflets about the Craven District Council's waste collection services no less!

Michael Claxton,

Cononley Moorside.

SIR - I was most interested to read your feature of old Skipton pubs.

My mother used to say how many pubs there were in Skipton, especially on the High Street when she was a girl some 90 years ago. Her father and mother, John and Margaret Phillip had the running of the Craven Arms on Newmarket Street for many years; in fact they brought up their six children at the Craven Arms - Ann, Richard, Frances, Edith, Alice and John. Some older readers may remember them.

There was a big yard at the back which ran down to the beck. The Phillips built a slaughterhouse and a place for sheep dipping and numerous shippons to accommodate cattle bought off the Irish cattle dealers each week for the High Street market.

They also extended at the back of the building by having several bedrooms built to take the regular Irish cattle dealers. The pub used to open at 6am to serve mill workers in the town at that time, perhaps with a hot toddy on cold winter mornings.

The last of the Phillips family to own the pub was Alice, with her husband, Herbert Ingham. I was sad to hear it has closed and is now an estate agency.

I can assure you that when the Phillips family had the Craven Arms there were toilets across the yard and in good working order. The toilets were taken over when the bus company took over the yard. Inside the sawdust floor and spitoons were up to standard.

Mrs Alice Robinson,

Orchard Place,

Rotherham.

SIR - Last week a Craven Council publication, the Craven Community Strategy, dropped on my doormat.

It is a glossy, expensive 22 page long document, liberally illustrated with colour photographs.

Never, in a long life have I read so many statements of the crashingly obvious. Apart from a few interesting statistics, practically every assertion is what any reasonable councillor or indeed Craven voter would know intuitively.

Do we need to be told all this in a collection of long-winded half-baked sentences? Take one example: "Key themes include developing creative and cultural education initiatives to enhance lifelong learning opportunities and social inclusion, celebrate diversity and contribute to building cohesive communities."

What a mish-mash of rambling, meaningless, multi-syllabic nonsense!

May I suggest that the author reads Fowler's 'Modern English Usage' and Partridge's 'Usage and Abusage'.

A point of correction: Rates of, for example, cancer and suicide are expressed in units of "100K population". Anyone who has studied a bit of maths and physics will know that capital K stands for Klevin (a unit of absolute temperature) and that little k stands for a thousand. If one goes into print with sloppy mathematical quantity, how much reliance can the reader place on the quoted number?

Finally, it is galling to know that the poor old Craven householder is paying for this absurd publication. I shudder to think how much it costs to employ one or more staff to put together this load of waffle, to print off thousands of copies and to send them via the Royal Mail to every household. No wonder the council tax is sky high.

David Shaw,

Moor Crescent, Skipton.

SIR - As one involved in the early days of the Skipton Renaissance plan may I commend the points raised in Peter Jones' letter (Craven Herald Letters, April 16).

However, as I have frequently pointed out, nothing will succeed without the involvement and support of Skipton folk.

A regular market stall, a meeting place, manned by councillors and council officials, would be one small step forward.

In addition to Mr Jones' proposals may I add one further. The state of the shop fronts, both local businesses and national concerns, in the High Street and the other main streets, leaves much to be desired.

I understand that grants are available to support such a tidy up.

Brian Ormondroyd,

Brindley Court, Skipton.

SIR - I hope your editorial last week (A new village in our green fields) will encourage a debate about how our housing needs should be met.

We understand all political parties want to empower local communities to take control of their own futures. In Embsay we agree.

The owners of the Tannery site in the middle of the village have now reapplied for planning permission to build 59 dwellings, rather than 72 (you have published several letters on the subject).

The Parish Council will maintain its objection as this is no more than a cosmetic change.

We would like to see the site used for providing jobs first and foremost, we want to see affordable housing for our own village needs and we want to conserve, so far as is practicable, our most important conservation features.

We stand ready to co-operate fully with the owners to achieve these objectives and ask the Yorkshire Dales National Park, our planning authority, to give us their support.

Residents and all those who care about the Dales, wherever they live, should write now to the National Park with their own views before it is too late.

Trevor A Kent,

Chairman,

Embsay with Eastby Parish Council.

SIR - I realise your restaurant reviwers are written by an eclectic mix of volunteers, but Helen McGee's moan about paying extra for vegetables (viz her "indignation" and indigestion") is bizarre. Hasn't the good lady the wit to realise that this gives diners the choice of whether to have them - those with small appetites don't always want them.

The price for for the main course should reflect the modular aporach to the meal.

Maybe Mrs McGee would be happier at one of those "pile 'em high" places where food spills off the edge of her plate?

Hester Simpson,

Skipton Road, Silsden.

SIR - Having just returned from an Easter break in Southport, I feel compelled to write about the experience both myself and my family endured.

We all visited Southport Zoo (to find out for ourselves what conditions are like) and are deeply upset by what we all saw. In fact, the two smallest members of the family, aged seven and 10, became very distressed and we had to leave.

I really believed that zoos like this no longer existed. Basically, it is like visiting a relic from the dark ages - a Victoria menagerie.

It brought back memories of Knaresborough Zoo, which was condemned and closed, and we certainly do not want a repetition of that nightmare in any area, let alone our own.

James Wilkinson and family,

Highfield Terrace, Skipton.

SIR - May I say a huge thank you to all those who were responsible for making my and many others' trip to Twickenham to support the "Mighty Ribb", so successful.

A small group of committed people have worked tirelessly over the last four weeks to ensure that everyone had the best time possible. They have given their time freely and willingly. Although the result was bitterly disappointing for all the North Ribblesdale players, committee and supporters, it was truly amazing to watch our boys run out on to that hallowed turf!

Our band of supporters were louder and prouder than the Leos fans. Our captain said that we could be heard from every part of the ground! It was a wonderful event for three generations of some families.

Finally, a massive thank you to all the players - your dedication and professionalism have made you the team you are today - one for all of Settle to be very proud of.

You have provided so many supporters with so much entertainment (on and off the pitch!) over the last few months. Losers - no, Heroes -yes!

Helen Monks,

East View, Settle.

SIR - May I use your column to say a huge thank you to the committee of North Ribblesdale rugby club for organizing a memorable weekend to

Twickenham.

To the coach and the mighty Ribb team, thank you for a superb cup run with some thrilling games to watch and the excitement generated by the final at Twickenham. The absolute pride of watching you all take to the pitch (eventually) was emotional! Although the game ended in a draw you were winners through and through to your supporters. Any way it was good practice for next year!

Sharron Askew

East View, Settle.