Here are the letters for June 12, 2019

Are we a country that can be trusted?

Many of the Conservative politicians lining up for the job of PM have taken drugs in the past. Why did they not admit this before they became MPs?

They seem to think that it is a rite of passage and as it happened in their student days it does not matter.

What other skeletons do they have hidden? have they robbed pensioners? Have they caused people alarm or distress?

Never has the country been more clearly divided.

We have seen recently a Labour politician losing her job because she lied about a speeding offence.

Boris Johnson, the front runner for the PM’s job, lied to the nation to get votes in for the referendum and has been told that no charges are to follow.

If we elect this buffoon (pictured) what does that say to the people in the other countries around the world? Britain will be seen as a country with no morals, and not to be trusted.

Terry Bennett

Dinmore Avenue

Blackpool

POLLUTION

Do your bit and have a clean air day

We can all make a small and positive difference in a number of ways by pledging on Thursday, 20 June 2019, one or more of the following:

I pledge to: give the car a day off, discover the side streets, work or cycle to work or school, go electric, use fragrance free, milder cleaning products, only burn dry, well seasoned wood or smokeless fuel, choose paints and varnishes labelled low Volatile Organic Compounds, open windows and use extractor fans to ventilate.

Air pollution is an umbrella term for lots of different types of pollution in the air around us. All these pollutants can be inhaled and absorbed into your body. Different types of pollution are caused by different things and can affect your body in different ways. For the most part, air pollution is invisible to the naked eye so just because you can’t see it, doesn’t mean it’s not there.

It’s a big problem. It is thought that up to 36,000 deaths each year in the UK are caused by air pollution.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) sets maximum limits for how air pollution that shouldn’t be passed. These limits look at daily and annual averages. Almost 2,000 locations in the UK are above these limits and there are places in the UK where the air pollution is three times as high as the WHO limits.

The amount of air pollution around me changes at different times. Air pollution levels change with location, different weather conditions, and with the activities that are taking place.

Air pollution concentrates around the areas where it is formed. So places that have lots of traffic, industry or farming can have higher levels of pollution.

Closing roads to traffic can reduce air pollution on those roads almost straightaway. This year air pollution on a major road in London was 97 per cent lower when the roads were closed for the London Marathon than on a normal Sunday. This means that the more traffic there is, the more pollution there usually is, so rush hour can be particularly bad.

Pollution can change at different times of year too. Ozone pollution forms in direct sunlight, so more is generated on particularly sunny days and levels are likely to be higher in spring and summer. In winter, some weather patterns, when there is particularly cold air at ground level and warmer air above it, air pollution can become trapped until the weather changes again.

The UK government has recently launched its Clean Air Strategy and it sets out their plans for dealing with sources of air pollution. This includes things like developing new guidance on things that create pollution: like tyres, brakes and wood stoves. They are also working to make sure that only the cleanest fuels are available for sale.

The Clean Air Strategy 2019 sets out the comprehensive actions required across all parts of government and society to improve air quality. The strategy sets out how we will: protect the nation’s health, protect the environment, secure clean growth and innovation, reduce emissions from transport, homes, farming and industry and monitor our progress.

Have a Clean Air Day on 20 June 2019 and let’s this be a positive step in the right direction for everyone.

Why not have a Clean Air day every day, pause for thought.

Lets do it.

Garry Richardson

Catterall Close

Blackpool