Sir, Exactly a year ago I wrote to you regarding flooding and the effect it has on the victims psychologically and financially. Little seems to have been done in areas to help reduce the volumes of water that spill out and cause this damage.
It has always rained, we cannot fall back on the excuse of climate change. What about the change in policy regarding the management of our waterways, ditches and burns.
If these waterways were maintained effectively by deepening them then greater volumes of water could be removed and would not spill out onto roads and villages.
It does not take much to work out, the deeper the basin, the more it can contain.
I pointed out last time that to be proactive and maintain waterways must be more cost-effective than paying out on insurance claims and emergency services who have to deal with the aftermath.
In my area of North East Fife, the last time ditches were maintained was back in the late Eighties, I now keep them clear to allow water to drain off the road to prevent flooding and long stretches of ice in very cold weather.
It is time for the agencies (SEPA) and councils to realise that maintenance is the best form of prevention.
James C T Angus. The Bothy, Muirhead Farm, Craigrothie, Cupar.
A sad stateof affairs
Sir, Hopefully the lengthening days will serve to enlighten some of our politicians towards “reality” and away from the present quagmire of “hyper-reality”.
A mere six decades ago the UK (and more especially Scotland) was a world leader in engineering and manufacturing expertise. Unfortunately this is no longer the case. Today, with an ever-shrinking manufacturing base, it has become necessary to import almost everything from machine tools to advanced industrial technologies.
A very sad state of affairs, the reversal of which should be Government’s priority.
Kenneth Miln. 22 Fothringham Drive, Monifieth.
Have we really progressed?
Sir, It is hard to imagine all the suffering caused when the electricity supply fails due to storm damage to the overhead distribution network, causing not only loss of light, but also heat as well as essential services in hospitals and elsewhere, which may be a matter of life or death.
I can remember when electricity was generated locally; so there were no cables on pylons to be damaged, or spoil the countryside, no nuclear power stations with their risks and problem of waste disposal.
It may be argued that fuel could be a problem with local generation, but we have the sun, rivers and sea, all of which can be exploited now.
Progress? Malby Goodman. 70 High Street, Aberdour.
Let ‘damage’ begin, I say
Sir The president of Bulgaria has stated that the UK’s impending introduction of emergency immigration rules could damage our image in Europe. What image would that be, I wonder? That of a “soft touch” country, whereby one only needs to arrive by any means and say the words “social security” and you’re in? Let the damage commence, I say.
A politician/ official recently criticised the UK for not accepting any “refugees” so far from Syria (so far!). What a cheek. What about the French? We do not have enough housing. There is a desperate need to house our own people, who need social housing as an initial tenancy, plus more properties to permit exchange/up/down-sizing.
The law should be changed to require not only a minimum income/job evidence, but proof and a precise details of the property to be occupied.
It is convenient for the EU, which does not have its own lands and properties, to dish out laws (mostly of a Socialist nature) for the sufferance of others. Nick Clegg and his Liberals would do well to remember this and maybe more people will vote for his party.
Let our country have a respected image. It angers me that Australians, Canadians, New Zealanders, South Africans and other Commonwealth nationals have less right to enter our country than EU nationals.
A T Geddie. 68 Carleton Avenue, Glenrothes.
Only catering for slim people
Sir, I have found it really frustrating going through the shops trying to find clothes to fit me. I am overweight and find it very annoying that main high street shops do not cater for people who are not “average”.
With 23% of the British population being classed as obese I am certainly not alone in my plight. Retailers need to take this on board when ordering stock and stop presuming everyone is slim, otherwise in the future they are going to lose a lot of trade.
This “action” by mainstream retailers could almost be seen as weight discrimination. I am sure there are people reading this who think: “why not lose the excess weight and get clothes to fit?”
That would be a fair point but in the meantime why should I have to struggle to find something to wear or have to pay extra by going to independent retailers who offer a service to overweight people?
Gordon Kennedy. 117 Simpson Square, Perth.