Letters - September 15, 2016

Looking at freedom of information requests, I’ve come to the conclusion this helicopter would have cost in the region of £1,600 per hour, and taking into account getting to and from the scene the cost may run to several thousands of pounds.

I would ask the police to give an account as to why it was deemed necessary to deploy a helicopter to an incident that was of such little importance that it has not made our local paper.

People are entitled to their sleep. It may well be that this helicopter deployment, with its subsequent costs to the taxpayer, was deemed necessary. If so, the force should give us a clear justification as to why this was the case, rather than send someone out from the local station.

Mike Marlow

Staining

EDUCATION

Why all the fuss over grammar schools?

The present furore over grammar schools is hard to understand.

I went to Rivington and Blackrod Grammar School in Horwich (many years ago!), and had to travel on two buses each day for the seven-mile journey. Some pupils were from poor backgrounds, but their excellent basic education in junior school enabled them to pass the 11-plus exam and move on to grammar schools.

Classes of mixed ability hold cleverer ones back, whereas if they are all capable of a high standard, where pupils are stretched to their full potential, the sky’s the limit!

It is vital that well-qualified teachers, with degrees, in grammar schools teach the cream of pupils, for we shall need clever academics, in the future, to run this country!

Mrs J Geddes

Whitemoss Avenue

Normoss

SAFETY

An exciting tale, but is travelator safe?

I don’t believe it. Just 48 hours after an incident involving a child’s fingers being hurt by a moving walkway in the new Blackpool Sainsbury’s store, Blackpool Council has declared the equipment safe.

The Gazette reports that Town Hall ‘officials’ visited the store, checked maintenance records and viewed CCTV, to declare the walkway was ‘safe’. Really? So these ‘officials’ are saying, without any modifications or restrictions in the use of the walkway, another small child cannot get their fingers trapped again? Much less trapped for some 50 minutes where parts had to be dismantled to release the little girl’s fingers.

We are now told that the child’s injuries are minor. Yet someone decided at the time that a helicopter trip to Alder Hey, Liverpool, was necessary? Well it makes for an exciting tale to a little girls school-friends!

Keith Hallam

via email

RESCUE

So glad it wasn’t me trapped in cable car

Watching the news unfold about the rescue taking place of people trapped in cable cars over Mont Blanc, reminded us of the time we went up the Aiguille-du-Midi cable car from Chamonix.

The views were magnificent and an experience never to be forgotten, even the creaking of the glacier as it slowly travelled down the mountain! I’m just glad it wasn’t us trapped up there!

Graham Archer

via email