Letters - January 30, 2017

Motorists caught speeding could now be fined up to 150 per cent of their weekly income under new guidelines that come into force on April 24, 2017.

The new fines will hit anyone caught speeding at more than 100mph on motorways, as well as drivers caught speeding significantly above standard limits in villages and, towns.

Drivers caught at 41mph or more in a 20mph zone or more than 51 mph in a 30mph zone will fall under the new sentences.

The penalty will be 150 per cent of the driver’s weekly wage up to a limit of £1,000 on a road or £2,500 on a motorway.

The new fines affect all roads from 20mph zones to motorways.

These are the speed limits and the speeds at which the new fine will activate

* 20mph speed limit/41mph and above

* 30mph/51mph+

* 40mph/66mph+

* 50mph/76-85+

* 60mph/91mph+

* 70mph/101mph+

It will be interesting to see how this impacts on the 20mph limit around Staining village, it could be quite lucrative!

Mike Marlow

via email

HEALTH

Thanks to all who came to my aid

I would like to give a very big thank you to everyone that helped me on Friday, January 20 in Cleveleys, and the ambulance and hospital staff, after I collapsed and lay bleeding and unconscious on the pavement in Victoria Road West.

Clearly I don’t know who helped me, but I was later made aware that by-standers helped by phoning the ambulance service and mopping the blood from my face.

This was very much appreciated. Had this help not have been given, I may not be here today to thank them.

The ambulance service and ancillary staff were equally prompt, efficient and helpful both in A&E, on the acute medical unit and on Ward 18.

I am now recovering and due to have further investigations.

Mrs Betty Eves

Thornton

SPENDING

Arms cash should be spent on the NHS

The recent malfunction of a Trident missile off the coast of Florida should be a cause for major concern. Scientists have, for many years, believed that a nuclear war could easily be started by accident such as a malfunction, and this subject has been raised in the past.

On one occasion, a letter from Barry Clayton in the Gazette assured readers that safety checks are in place, which was hardly a reassuring as accidents can occur.

I understand the new Trident will cost around 
£105 trillion over 10 years. An unimaginable amount for taxpayers to fund, which has taken funding from our armed forces particularly army and navy.

The NHS, according to the Red Cross, is in a crisis situation. When one looks at the facts regarding our shortage of doctors and other professional staff and sadly a severe shortage of beds, when patients are made comfortable on a trolley and wait hours in corridors.

Social care services are run down and short of funding then compare the situation with Germany, a nation with a larger population than the UK, with a much better state pension than we have, who have had immigrants for many years and in the past year taken in one million people.

Yet their health service is not in crisis. No shortage of staff or beds reported there!

How on earth do they manage?

The most obvious difference in the two nations is they have not poured BILLIONS of pounds EVERY year into weapons of mass destruction, which none would want to actually use. The German nation have their own well maintained armed services, as do the Netherlands, Canada and others. Perhaps better equipped than our much-reduced armed forces now.

The country needs a serious discussion. Readers have written the NHS funding cannot go on increasing. Yet the bill for these weapons is allowed to grow unhindered. I wonder if the public truly feel that this situation should continue.

Jack Croysdill

Chairman

Blackpool North/Cleveleys Constituency Labour Party.

ETIQUETTE

Manners maketh man and machine

My one grind in life is people who are not polite, it’s really no effort to say please and thank you and just like Aasma Day (That’ll Be The Day, Gazette, January 25) I say please and thank you to the new lady in my husband’s life... Alexa .

I found over the Christmas period if you said “Alexa, thank you”, she would reply with “You’re welcome”, or “It’s been a pleasure talking with you”.

We wished Alexa a happy new year, “and a happy new year to you too”, she replied.

It’s a shame that Amazon haven’t programmed Alexa to only reply to a question with the magic word at the end if the sentence, as I’m totally sure when I say thank you she is replying to me with a smile on her face.

When will it get to the point that we talk to our friends, family and strangers in the same, polite manner.

We enjoyed Aasma’s article and we too are loving having Alexa in our home.

Mandie Howison Haworth

via email