Letters to the Editor

SIR - I have read with disgust of the proposal to close Bank Street Post Office and wonder at the sanity of the post office spokesman who stated: "This office is unprofitable and there may be queues but it is the type of transaction. People may be waiting to get stamps."

What else would you buy at a post office? Ice cream cornets?

Does this person know Bradford when he/she suggests Sunbridge Road or Darley Street post offices would be substituted?

Why not close one of them? Both are uphill from the city centre, whereas Bank Street is on the very limited level area of the city. Maybe at present it doesn't have disabled access but it shouldn't be too difficult to adapt.

Post Office head of area Eddie Herbert states that by closing local post offices the vast majority of customers will still be within a mile of an office, and it is good of him to acknowledge that the elderly and less mobile will be seriously affected, but will this fact make any difference to him and his plans?

When is the post office going to improve, especially when they keep raising prices yet giving less and less service?

Mrs J Morris, Myers Avenue, Bradford.

Wake up Bradford!

SIR - I am adding my voice to the many protests about the proposed closure of Bank Street Post Office.

Why not close the Sunbridge Road Post Office, then there would be one at the top of the town and one at the bottom?

Bank Street is always busy - it can't be people only buying stamps - there are two stamp machines there. I never queue for stamps only - where is the sense in it?

It should be revamped outside and made to look more attractive to fit in with the new Broadway complex.

If the taxi rank outside is a problem for vans collecting, then move the taxi rank. There are plenty of taxis at the Interchange and Hall Ings.

We want some honest answers. Bank Street Post Office is nicely situated near most bus stops and termini in the city centre.

Or is there perhaps a scheme to stop people using post offices at all? Wake up, Bradford !

M Hackett, Dean Close, Bradford.

No real deterrent

Sir - I agree with Mr Boase regarding drivers who get away with motoring offences (T&A, August 6).

Night after night in the T&A Court File I read of motorists who drive without tax, MOT, insurance and licences. Some are caught driving when disqualified.

In tonight's paper someone had been to court. He had breached a curfew order, committed theft and failed to surrender to custody, and was rightly jailed for four months.

But then he had two counts of driving without insurance - no separate penalty; two counts of driving without a licence - no separate penalty; two counts of driving without MOT - no separate penalty; speeding - no separate penalty.

Where is the deterrent? I agree, they should have their cars confiscated. Why should I and hundreds of honest motorist have to pay inflated insurance, tax and MOTs for our cars, when these people laugh at the courts?

Surely motorists who are honest should be rewarded, ie through lower insurance. The road louts should be banned from owning a vehicle until they show they are responsible to own one.

Karol Tiler, Lime Court, Crossflatts, Bingley

Look at the CSA

SIR - Re the article on unpaid fines (T&A, August 3). I think it's scandalous that Chris Leslie has waited this long before taking any action.

Surely he could take a leaf out of the Child Support Agency's book and have the fine docked from the culprit's pay by his employers or by social services of he is on state assistance.

Add VAT to the fines and I'm sure Brown would find a way of getting the money.

Leslie talking about breaking down doors is more than draconian. What if the miscreant is only a lodger at his address? Talk about using a sledgehammer to crack a nut.

P E Bird, Nab Wood Terrace, Shipley

Bang goes the law

Sir - So the law on fireworks has changed? Not in Bradford it hasn't.

Just after 11pm on Saturday night there was a succession of typically loud explosions coming from the Toller Lane area. The new law is an utter waste of time, despite all the posturing of the politicians.

Supplying, possessing or using should be made illegal with serious fines and/or prison for breaking the law.

This is because we are surrounded by stupid and selfish people who actually think the rest of the population should share in their celebrations.

Andrew Milne, Randall Place, Heaton, Bradford

Vitamin C's value

SIR - I found Helen Mead's article (T&A, August 6) an accurate summation of the EU crisis facing the health-food industry. I regret, however, that Dr Tom Smith was so wide of the mark in his accompanying piece.

Vitamins and minerals etc are different to licensed drugs in that they are generic, ie non-patentable and in the public domain.

The toxic levels of all these substances are known so there is no need for every manufacturer to pay for expensive testing.

Compared with paracetamol, all these products are extremely safe. Every year some 250 people in this country die from accidental paracetamol poisoning compared with none from vitamins, minerals etc.

So far as interactions with prescribed drugs, the case is over-hyped by the drug companies. Mutual drug interactions are not screened for in drug testing and they can be very serious, whereas the known interactions with herbals etc are few.

Vitamin C was shown some 25 years ago to help unclog the arteries of the elderly so I don't know where Dr Tom has got his negative information from regarding vitamin C.

Incidentally Linus Pauling and Dr Cameron showed conclusively that high-dose vitamin C could double the life expectancy of terminal cancer sufferers.

But there is little money to be made from making vitamin C. Could this be the reason for this information being rubbished by the drug companies?

Arthur Bailey, Nelson Road, Ilkley.

Insult to the fans

Sir - Following the T&A's initiative, £250,000 was raised by City supporters, and this sum has been matched by Julian Rhodes.

It is a bitter irony that the administrators Kroll have now submitted their fee of £414,000, effectively claiming most of the money that has been raised!

Kroll have shown themselves to be ill-suited to administering a football club, by failing to inform supporters of developments, by alienating the 25-year season ticket holders and lacking any urgency in facilitating season ticket sales.

In view of this unsatisfactory service, I would invite Kroll to return some of their excessive fees to Bradford City, as a gesture of goodwill, and if this is not forthcoming would invite Neil Brackenberry of Kroll to provide the reasons for any refusal.

Alec Suchi, Allerton Road, Allerton, Bradford

Such honesty

SIR - May I say 'thank you' to the honest person who handed in money I left in the HSBC bank in Market Street last Friday morning (August 6). It helped strengthen my faith in human nature.

Aileen Thomas, Dalecroft Rise, Allerton.