SIR - Last week you reported briefly on a spillage of chicken offal outside Hellifield Institute, which occurred late at night on Friday December 29. The story did not end there, and shows no sign of ending.

Craven District Council's emergency number disclaimed any responsibility, and directed us to Highways, who were contactable only through the police.

Traffic spread the mess through the village and splashed it onto walls and pavements.

Late Saturday morning a Lancashire Highways contractor wearing a face mask came and threw sand on the mess. For the rest of the day the stench pervaded the village centre, causing several people to be physically sick. More phone calls evoked no further activity.

On Sunday lunchtime our district councillor, Helen Firth, intervened with a site visit, photos and many phone calls. Nothing happened.

Further calls to the police on Monday morning revealed that Highways said they had done all they could, and "nature must now take its course".

What a headline that would make next time Hellifield floods: "Drains blocked by chicken legs"!

More calls from the parish council and Coun Firth eventually produced a roadsweeper which removed the bulk of the mess from the road, leaving us with stinking entrails splattered up the wall. Craven District Council said this did not constitute a health hazard and could do nothing to help and anyway had no equipment to carry out such a task.

At the time of writing (Tuesday this week, 11 days later) the wall is still the same, now frozen, and all we have had are empty promises and platitudes from all concerned.

When the same thing happened in Gargrave last year, the road was closed and cleansing and disinfecting crews descended on the place. We are told this was a foot and mouth precaution, though I would like to speak to anyone who has ever met a chicken with foot and mouth!

A few weeks ago you reported a similar incident in Ingleton where disinfecting crews made two visits until things were sorted to the residents' satisfaction.

I know the folks of Hellifield are a tough bunch, but surely if something is a health risk in two villages, it must also be the same risk here? Is chicken not one of the main causes of salmonella and e-coli problems?

Or is this yet another example of "It's only Hellifield" ?

Jeremy Sample,

Midland Terrace, Hellifield.

SIR - I am sure there are more pressing demands on the time of a Chief Constable than to study the letters columns of the local press. But presumably someone within the North Yorkshire Police could (and should) do so, noting appropriate issues. Failing this there are numerous press-cutting agencies eager to provide this service for a modest annual fee.

So I am both surprised and disappointed that North Yorkshire Police has yet to respond to a recent letter in the Craven Herald (December 20). Mr Strange makes a startling allegation that "in North Yorkshire as a whole there is not one working speed camera".

The absence to date of a reply may lead the public to conclude that the police are either (a) unaware of the allegation; (b) regards it as unimportant; or (c) chooses to keep its head below the parapet on an issue of considerable public concern.

If Mr Strange is right, the public is entitled to know why our roads, towns and villages are peppered with roadside signs warning drivers that cameras are in operation when they do not even exist. This could be construed as intent to deceive, to mislead the public into believing that the necessary action has been taken to protect their safety - when in fact it has not.

The force's own website is unequivocal. It states: "Excess and inappropriate speed contributes to over one third of all road casualties. It is crucial that we address this issue to improve road safety."

But it would seem North Yorkshire Police is addressing this "crucial" issue with shadows. I appreciate that speed cameras are expensive (around £13,000 each, I believe). And the police, like most other public bodies, are strapped for cash. But cameras do not only save lives and limbs; by deterrence they also reduce the massive cost of road accidents.

Speed cameras actually generate considerable income for the police at minimal operating cost - in the form of fixed fines levied on speeding drivers. I understand that other UK police forces have found cameras an investment equivalent to Aladdin's cave, generating a return on investment a professional investor would envy.

Furthermore, the current speed-policing methods used in North Yorkshire (hand-held radar/laser guns, in-car monitoring etc) are heavily labour intensive compared with speed cameras. The latter could substantially reduce manpower demands, freeing hard-pressed road policing officers for other duties.

If there is a compelling case in North Yorkshire against the use of such cameras (other than restrictions on capital spending - in which case the financing of speed cameras is a prime candidate for a Private Finance Initiative) please tell us. If not, may we look forward to shadow becoming substance?

Peter Scott-Smith

Member, Long Preston A65 Action Group,

The Green, Long Preston.

SIR - I was very interested in the article "Empty pews pose big challenge for today's Church" (Craven Herald December 20).

I must however, query Rev Martyn Pinnock's views on the use of gimmicks and his remark, "we have to find something to draw people in."

I have been a Methodist local preacher for 45 years and an Anglican reader for six.

In my experience, a gimmick is a short term draw, devoid of any in-depth teaching content and therefore, without any lasting spiritual significance. Often a gimmick is imposed on an unwilling congregation, who reluctantly accept it as a "necessary" pew-filler. Sometimes a gimmick heralds a much needed change, which does indeed inject new life into a church.

There is, however, a growing tendency to submit to the doctrine that irrespective of the worship tradition of the core congregation, the choice of worship elements in a service must reflect the backgrounds of new members, even though some of these folk may come from a different tradition or denomination or no denomination at all.

People must be offered "choice" in what they prefer. Not surprisingly, confusion and dysfunctionality are often the result.

I am reminded of the new Archbishop of Canterbury's recent attack on the philosophy of "market choice", a criticism which can apply equally to the Church as to society at large. Choice in the Church often takes precedence before in-depth teaching in the Faith.

Even though the latter may be presented creatively and topically, there is a widespread belief that congregations can no longer draw from the riches of a neglected spiritual heritage (Dr Rowan Williams seems more hopeful) and can only cope with the diluted milk of the Word. Put another way, when only religious popcorn is on offer, "the hungry sheep look up and are not fed", to use Milton's bitter words to the Church of his day.

Finally, I take issue with Mr Pinnock's choice (if it was his choice) of the Christingle service as an example of a gimmick. The first Christingle service was held around Christmas time in 1747 by Moravians in Germany. They were living through a time of great unrest and uncertainty. During the service, their bishop suddenly produced a lighted candle tied with a red ribbon, for each of the children, as a sign that Christ, the Light of the world had come to cheer them in the darkness of the times in which they lived.

The candle, later Christingle, service, soon spread throughout the world. It first came to England in 1968 where it was adopted by the Children's Society as a means of reminding the Church at Christmas time of needy children in its care.

There are many in our wider, non church-going community who admit to a regular prayer habit and to having a spirituality "without a visble home." There are many whose life experiences lead them to a belief in a reality and a dimension of truth beyond the rational, "scientific" and material.

Perhaps, we few, who are still to be found, week by week, worshipping in half empty churches and praying for the whole believing and non-believing community, may be there, if needed, to offer a helping hand.

Kathleen Kinder,

Valley View, Station Road,

Giggleswick, Settle,

SIR - Thank goodness sanity has indeed ruled in the Eastby cockerel saga.

It's a pity that Craven District Council took up the case in the first place. Futhermore will the £3,000 costs awarded to the appelant be coming out of the individual officers' purse. I think not.

Raymond Brewster,

Greenbottom Farm, Embsay.

SIR - I particularly enjoyed the pictures that accompanied Sue Marshall's article on the Boxing Day Hunt: the huntsmen in their attractive costumes, riding beautiful horses and surrounded by those eager-looking hounds.

I only hope therefore that if this hunt does in fact take place again next year that your photographer will stick with it beyond the starting point, in order to give us equally colourful pictures of what is, after all, the essence of the occasion: the tearing to pieces of a fox in the name of sport.

Bob Adamson,

Fallowfield, Skipton.

SIR - I read with interest the letter from K Rainford regarding the attitude of the taxi drivers outside the Co-op store in Skipton (Craven Herald letters January 3).

My sympathies lie with the author because I too have been a victim of abuse when dropping off a disabled lady at the door so that she could enter the store. I was only there for a minute!

Could not the taxi rank be made into disabled parking for those who wish to shop there and visit the Rest Centre across the road?

The taxis could then be asked to use a dial and pick up system as they do at Morrisons.

Reading the other letters regarding the debate on shopping in Settle, I had the following thought. Since it is a fact of life that most of us now have to have a car because accessible, affordable public transport is not high on the list of priorities of North Yorkshire County Council, maybe the problem of which shops we choose to visit is governed by the parking facilities provided by our local council.

The cost and the amount of parking is also an important factor. Also has anyone done a survey on how many disabled parking places are provided by the supermarkets compared to those available in the town centres of Skipton and Settle?

Mrs S Smith

Barden Road, Eastby.

SIR - In reply to Mr Crabtree and others, I too have moved back to the area after leaving to go to University in the Seventies.

The area has changed greatly during that time - as has society and society's needs and habits. Agriculture in the area is much less important and its rate of decline will increase; other traditional industries will decline as well.

Settle has to reinvent itself, and one of the core needs is a decent supermarket where good quality local and national produce can be obtained.

The Co-op failed to do this for years and Settle was poorer for it; people had to travel out of the area to go to a decent well stocked shop - now they don't have to. Modern telecommunications are also essential to encourage knowledge based industries to locate in the area, who will be the future wealth generators.

One thing that hasn't changed though is the grumbling ability of the local populace.

Jon Blythe,

Raines Court, Giggleswick.

SIR - I would like to take this opportunity to thank all the volunteers who helped in the Cards for Good Causes Christmas outlet, the town hall staff for their hospitality and all the customers who this year bought cards in support of the various charities.

Once again the venture proved successful with the charities benefitting from your support. We look forward to seeing you again at Christmas 2003.

Joyce Young,

Local manager,

Cards for Good Causes.

SIR - I read the article about the "tubs scheme" in last week's Craven Herald with great interest and we in Skipton and Craven Lions Club wholeheartedly support the police in West Craven.

We heard about a similar scheme run by Lancaster and Morecambe Lions and decided in November to provide these "tubs" to vulnerable people in Craven. We have opted for the title "message in a bottle".

For readers who missed the article, the scheme is to help those people who feel vulnerable, may live alone and may have medical conditions which staff of the Ambulance Service would need to know about should they be called to their homes. The information is kept in a container in the fridge. Emergency service personnel will look for a sticker on the outside door, the fridge door and on the container.

We now have the full support of the police, ambulance and fire services based in Skipton, who will be at the forefront of any emergency action. We are pleased to have the backing of the medical practices in Skipton together with the Skipton pharmacies, all of which will carry stocks of the containers.

Shortly we plan to approach the pharmacies and medical practices in Glusburn, Grassington, Settle, Ingleton and Bentham. If there are areas I have not mentioned I am sure that your readers will let me know about them.

Our launch date is dependent on getting the containers and labels from our suppliers, but hopefully we are looking at early February. However, your readers are welcome to visit us in the Skipton Town Hall at our Winter Fair on Saturday January 18. There will be a small display and leaflets will be available.

Wally Clark,

President,

Skipton & Craven Lions.