What about closure for the victims?

SIR - I write to express my outrage at the Home Office's decision to allow Peter Sutcliffe, the 'Yorkshire Ripper', to 'achieve closure' by visiting the place in Arneside where his late father's ashes were scattered.

What kind of mindless, insensitive idiots are manning the Home Office at the moment? Have these people thought about achieving closure for all those families, relatives and friends whose mothers/daughters/ sisters were so callously butchered by Peter Sutcliffe?

And what closure will ever be achieved for those women who were attacked by him but managed to survive - the scars and memories will be with them for ever.

While his murders may have been committed more than 20 years ago, for most of us living in West Yorkshire his heinous crimes will never be forgotten or forgiven.

This is yet another example of how this Government puts the sensitivities and rights of the criminals over those of the innocent victims and their families.

I personally hope Peter Sutcliffe never achieves closure for what he did - in this world or the next.

Liz Balding, Ellar Carr Road, Cullingworth

Make bingers pay

SIR - Yet again, this inept government has missed an open-goal chance to 'join-up' its policies.

The proposed introduction of 24-hour pub opening, alongside the new licensing system, offered a wonderful opportunity to align these two developments to ensure 'the polluter pays'. And it could have been so simple.

All licensed premises could remain open until midnight but, for each opening hour after that, an additional licence fee of £10,000 per annum should apply, the proceeds split directly between the local police and hospital A&E departments - that's around £1m a year in Bradford alone.

Thus, those concentrated city centre binge sites would start to repay the community for their clean-up services, leaving the rest of the licensed trade to serve its more responsible customers without penalty.

And if it still pays mega-profits, the late-night pubs and clubs would stay open: if it doesn't, then they all close down and the problem goes away.

But maybe binge-influence affects not only drinkers, but New Labour too: in the latter's case, the lobbying influence of the big-chain operators, to whom such an approach would clearly jeopardise their profit targets and, by inference, their capacity for political donations?

Graham Hoyle, Kirkbourne Grove, Baildon

Wasted journey

SIR - Gordon Brown has been swanning around Africa at our expense, wiping out many thousands of pounds owed to us by these different African countries.

While we sympathise with these poor countries, Mr Brown has no mandate to give away UK taxpayers' money.

Millions of pounds have already been dropped into this black hole, but nothing has improved because the money either goes to corrupt governments or the recipients are too idle to improve their lot.

There are thousands of people in Britain living below the poverty line. At least one person has died of hypothermia in this so-called rich country.

So why has this government allowed this to happen? Because they think more about foreigners than their own people.

Time we got rid of Tony Blair and his government.

N Brown, Peterborough Place, Undercliffe.

Euro co-operation

SIR - I read with interest about the world's biggest passenger aircraft, the massive Airbus A380, being unveiled (T&A, January 18). The result of co-operation between five European countries, it has already created 22,000 jobs in the UK and is estimated to create 100,000 when in full production in 2006.

One in the eye for the Eurosceptics?

John Watson, Silverdale Road, Guiseley.

In black and white

SIR - Liz Balding (T&A, January 17) accuses me of living in a rarefied bubble.

I confess to not hearing of - or giving any attention to - the British Red Cross banning nativity scenes "for fear of offending Muslims". Clearly "the British Red Cross" needs a good talking to!

As for Cornwall's Eden Centre calling Christmas "a time for gifts": this seems a fair description, and one many atheists would be happy to use (along with the shorter "Christmas").

I'm quietly confident that I'd "get away" with calling a blackboard a blackboard. I am a free man, not a number; not a slave to silly ideas, not all that crazy and not one to suffer (intelligent) fools gladly!

My grouse is the lumping of all sorts of ideas as "PC" - sensible ones with the nonsense mentioned by Ms Balding. One can discredit good ideas by associating them with bad ones.

Banning nativity scenes is not "correct" politically nor in any other way. A person would have to be crazy to suggest that it is.

A blackboard is a blackboard is a blackboard (except where it's white).

John Hall, Pennithorne Avenue, Baildon.

Unscooped poop

SIR - I would like to warn anyone with young children wanting to go for a walk to avoid the canal bank between Wagon Lane and Three Rise Locks, Bingley.

We did not realise it would be an obstacle course that had been provided by our canine friends who had been there previously, presumably having left their poop scoops, bags and owners at home.

We appreciate accidents can happen, however the number of piles would suggest these were not all accidents.

It is hard enough for us adults to avoid when there is so much and it certainly takes the fun out of the walk if you are having to pull your children away from the piles all the time as they have yet to learn just what the dangers are.

We like animals but do not want to be treading in their dirt, and unless you walk with your head down missing all the scenery there is a big chance you would end up doing just that.

Mrs S Denison, Park Close, Eccleshill.

A joke service

SIR - In response to the letter regarding the post (T&A, January 18), when letters are delivered to this address they are just tucked into the letter box with the biggest part outside.

This week I was expecting birthday cards. One has not appeared, while another, pushed into the letter box, was waving about in the wind.

This is as well as not knowing when they will arrive - sometimes into the afternoon.

This, I think you will agree, is beyond a joke.

Mrs D Davis, Swain House Crescent, Bradford.