Letters to the Editor

SIR - Recently I took a black bin liner of household rubbish to the council household waste site at Low Moor. When I arrived I couldn't get the vehicle under the barrier because of the roof bars on top so I decided to park on the roadside and carry the bag into the site and on to the skip.

I was met by a most unco-operative security guard who told me: "You can't bring your rubbish in here".

After this experience wasting my time trying to do the right thing, I can understand why fly-tipping has become rife. And I wonder just why I pay my council tax - after all I pay for this service, and what a service. Stupidity, thy name is Bradford Metropolitan Council.

Graham Tyler, Saxon Court, Wyke.

l Ian Bairstow, Head of Service, Waste and Street Scene, said: "We do not want to discourage genuine Bradford residents from depositing household waste at any of our sites. The new system is aimed entirely at excluding trader abuse of the sites.

"For safety and regulatory reasons residents shouldn't park on the road and carry waste into the site. We can also move the height barrier to give access to vehicles with high roof bars.

"Clearly the security guard was unaware of this and we apologise to Mr Tyler for the inconvenience this caused. Action has been taken to ensure that all staff better understand the arrangements for allowing access to this type of car."

History lesson

SIR - In response to Geoffrey Holmes, (T&A, March 8) he is right to say the dropping of the nuclear bombs in the Second World War saved millions of lives but only if we accept his assumption that we had to force Japan to unconditionally surrender.

He is right Japan was fanatical, and wouldn't surrender unless placed under immense suffering. Nevertheless, interestingly, the US Office of War Information in 1945 acknowledged the unwillingness of Allied troops to take prisoners in the Pacific theatre had made it difficult for Japanese soldiers to surrender.

Moreover, this view is overlooking a third way. We could have settled for a 'fair peace'. In other words a peace that would be politically acceptable to Japan, bring a sense of victory to the Allies and most importantly bring a closure to the war.

Japan certainly wanted this, as the leaders realised Japan would inevitably lose the war, and thus sent peace feelers through the Soviet Union.

Unfortunately, America felt the need to force the unconditional surrender of Japan, and as the human loss of an invasion to the American troops was unacceptably high, they decided to use their nuclear weapons.

David Lawson, Altar Drive, Heaton.

New Zealand trek

SIR - I am delighted to support The Children's Society's forthcoming Trek New Zealand and invite your readers to experience the challenge of a lifetime in my homeland.

I have no doubt every trekker will fall in love with the rare natural beauty of New Zealand, as they take on this amazing sea-to-summits challenge.

The trek is sure to make a lasting impact on each and every one of your lives, and more importantly will make a real difference to the most marginalised children in England today. The 11-day trek during November 2006 is open to everyone with an average level of fitness and a commitment to raise the minimum sponsorship amount.

If you're interested and want to find out more, then contact the Supporter Relations team at The Children's Society on 0845 300 1128 or visit www.childrenssociety. org.uk.

New Zealand and its people are waiting to welcome you.

Rt Hon Jonathan Hunt, New Zealand High Commissioner, New Zealand House, Haymarket, London.

No attraction

SIR - I have just spent two hours in Bingley Library studying the plans for the 'Market' area of the Masterplan. I would like to get enthusiastic about it but am finding it difficult. After ploughing through all the hype, what are we left with? A footbridge, some houses and a row of shops.

I am in favour of city-centre living, but in the form of apartments, as per 'Cliffside', rather than houses. Houses imply families, which require schools nearby and a degree of open space; certainly not being built next to a busy ring road.

I cannot see a straggly row of shops as an attraction and why would you want to draw people away from the city centre? Far better to build an Asian market as a unit. This could take the form of a Souk similar to the Medina at Agadir - a brand new complex that looks hundreds of years old.

Now for the good news! The plans show the ring road being progressed at least as far as Thornton Road/Listerhills Road. Our forefathers never quite managed to complete the outer ring road. Let us at least try to improve on the past.

Eddie Bennett, Duchy Drive, Heaton.

See the evidence

SIR - Re the legal loophole mentioned in the letter from T Hill (T&A, March 15), from personal experience I can confirm that the authorities issuing the fixed penalty notices (for alleged speeding) are indeed reluctant to issue the photographic evidence to prove the case against a defendant.

Fixed penalty or not, an individual is entitled to see the evidence against them before deciding to plead guilty (ie pay the fine) or contest the case accordingly.

If the authorities are either unable or unwilling to provide such evidence, then the case cannot be proceeded with.

This is not a legal loophole that is exploited by the 'rich' but is still the basis on which our legal system is administered, ie innocent until proven guilty and decided upon by the evidence presented.

My advice, therefore, as far as speeding fines are concerned, is to demand to see the evidence against you, then decide to pay the fine if you consider you are guilty or contest the fixed penalty notice if you think you are innocent.

J Simes, Roundhill Close, Clayton Heights, Bradford.

Guarantee joke

SIR - When is a guarantee not a guarantee? Since 1986 the house I own has been damp-proofed three times on change of ownership, each with a guarantee.

In 1997, on purchasing the property I spent £1,000 on a survey and subsequent work required to damp-proof the house.

The work was carried out, with a 25-year guarantee. On attempting to sell, I am informed by the same company (acting for the purchaser) that the house requires a further £500-plus spending on damp proofing (not including an extra £30 for a survey to prove that their damp-proofing had not damp-proofed).

My question is what exactly is being guaranteed? Are guarantees worth anything?

Peter Waring, Beck Hill, Bradford.

Perfect deterrent

SIR - Malcolm Wood (T&A, March 9) would like to see a law to deter gun crime. How about this one which works in Singapore? If anyone discharges a gun, whether or not it harms anyone or thing, upon conviction they are punished with death.

If the accused should be with cohorts, they are guilty of the same crime, unless they can prove that they did not know the gun was present. The onus is upon them to prove innocence.

In Singapore about four per year suffer execution, equating to about one per million of the population. If we were to equal this it would allow us about 60 per year for the British Isles. We could just about manage this number within Bradford and Leeds.

The statistics are unequivocal - the law and execution works. Yes, we could have the death penalty - it just requires the government to opt out of the European Directive, as it has on other matters.

A G Goldsbrough, Dale Court, Fieldway, Ilkley.

Laughing at Mike

SIR - Mike Priestley is still our No 1 armchair general on Iraq. A relative who has just returned from that country, after setting up some schools, has quite a laugh at Mike and his knowledge, or lack of it.

This relative was away three years, admittedly not in Baghdad, and never saw a death or heard a bomb go off. His reply to Mike: illegal war, free elections, millions voting - fair swap!

F Dickinson, Larkfield Road, Rawdon.