Letters - March 16, 2017

FRACKINGWho's picking up bill for all these officers?Do you happen to have any idea who is paying for the policing on Preston New Road (the Cuadrilla site)?
The lorry was forced to stop and block a lane of Preston New Road while the protester waved his placard from the top of the lorry.The lorry was forced to stop and block a lane of Preston New Road while the protester waved his placard from the top of the lorry.
The lorry was forced to stop and block a lane of Preston New Road while the protester waved his placard from the top of the lorry.

I ask because on the occasions I have driven through there on my way home there is a constant, large police presence and on Tuesday in particular (at about 4.15pm) I could not believe my eyes ... a number of police vans and a huge number of police officers in riot gear lining the road on both sides.

All I could see were about four to six protesters who in the main appeared to be older ladies, just standing there quietly.

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Where is the threat that would justify a police presence like this?

Maybe I missed something? ... if I did, the police officers standing around didn’t look as though they had had anything in particular to deal with.

Is it really necessary to have such a huge police presence and in so doing, does this not rather enforce the impression that fracking is a decision that is effectively being forced upon the people of Lancashire, whether we like it or not? Counter productive, possibly?!

I hadn’t realised that we now live in a police state.

Whatever and whoever is demanding this ridiculous police presence, I would at least like reassurance that it is not the Lancashire taxpayer who is covering the inevitable costs, particularly when police officers appear to be in short supply when they are needed in other areas.

M Cooksey

Ashton on Ribble

TRAFFIC

Will we ever be roadwork free?

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The amount of roadworks we’ve had to endure lately is a nightmare.

For commuters to and from work it is particularly bad and an endless problem for Blackpool Transport.

There is the longer than estimated works in St Annes on Clifton Drive by Highbury Road with yet another set of temporary traffic lights added more delays to our journeys to and from work.

I wish to congratulate Blackpool Transport and drivers on managing to condense what could have been much longer travelling time to around 10 - 15 minutes later than usual particularly during peak ‘home time.’ While I can only speak for the no: 7 route (between Central Drive and St Annes/Lytham) I felt it could have been a lot worse especially when St Annes Road too have on going road works and temporary lights yet, my latest time home was 5.20pm as normally opposed to 4.50pm and this was only on two occasions. With odd buses missing or well behind schedule trying to catch up how could anyone complain to drivers when there was and is little else can be done.

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I cannot speak for congestion and delays on Crossley Bridge route but I imagine drivers are doing their level best through all these works.

Once we are roadworks free (will there be such a time?) we can all relax again with complaints eliminated to a minimum for Blackpool Transport staff and breath a well earned sigh of relief.

Clifford 
Chambers

Via email

CRIME

Warning to South Shore elderly

I would like to alert everyone, but especially the elderly, living in the South Shore area.

Recently, an elderly friend was charged £800 for the simple task of cleaning the drain. This is robbery.

We all need to be on 
our guard.

Ms R Page

Blackpool

MOBILE PHONES

Penalties have
little effect

Penalties will have little effect

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The recent increase in legal penalties for using a mobile phone while driving a vehicle, will have little, or no, effect.

Awarding six points still means that the criminal will still be able to drive and £200 is only a good night out.

No deterrent at all.

What punishment needs to be implemented is an instant ban for 12 months, with no mitigating circumstances being admissible. Also, evidence received from the public such as a photograph, or record of the event by at least two people, should be made acceptable for the police to bring a court case.

If the illegal use of the phone causes damage, or injury to others, then the ban should be for life, with life meaning life.

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However, I feel phones are only the thin end of the wedge with modern vehicles.

With more and more on-board phone and entertainment technology and less and less manual control of the vehicle – reversing alarms, automatic gearbox, Sat-Nav, self-parking, cruise control being required – the potential for driver distraction will increase more and more. God help our grandchildren riding a bicycle on a public road.

Paul 
Emsley

via email

POLITICS

Why Labour lost
its voters

Can I enlighten Baroness Shami Chakrabarti as to why Labour was ousted in the Copeland by-election?

Her assumption that only Tory voters own cars, while Labour voters rely on public transport, is absurd. I’ve voted Labour in the past and I owned a car, as I do now when I don’t vote Labour.

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The reason I no longer vote Labour is because the party has become filled with people such as her – the likes of Emily Thornberry, who sneer at the flag of St George and ‘white van men’, as if their very existence were proof of bigotry and racism, and people like Diane Abbott, who advocates state education while sending her child to private school.

The Labour Party is finished if it stays on its current course – not just in Copeland, but nationwide.

It no longer represents the people it was created to represent.

Nowadays, it despises those people.

That’s why it lost Copeland, not because they can’t afford cars.

AT

Address supplied

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