Letters - Thursday, October 7, 2021

As our country staggers from crisis to crisis and road rage sets in at the petrol pumps I am astounded at the antics of the idiotic eco zealots who pour oil on troubled waters with their motorway protests while the police pussyfoot around them.

Instead of upholding the law and protecting the public by ensuring that society can continue to function some senior officers appear to have repeatedly allowed these self-indulgent protesters to bring parts of our road network to a halt.

The selfish and reckless behaviour of these activists has delayed the emergency services, medical supplies and vulnerable hospital patients while the idling and stationary vehicles they obstruct pollute the atmosphere undermining their demented drive to achieve their shangri la of net zero emissions.

While peaceful protest is a fundamental principle of our democracy this is anarchy by a minority disrupting the lives of the law abiding majority.

It is estimated it has cost the UK taxpayer a staggering £50m damage to the economy. As a retired copper I am of the opinion that the police have lost the plot and that surely a resolute and swift action by the police from the outset would have nipped this mob nonsense in the bud.

Call me old fashioned but I would take a leaf out of the book of other less tolerant countries than ours and turn the water cannons on the lot of them.

Retired Det Insp Jim Oldcorn

Lancashire

TRAFFIC

Speed limit cut will not fix congestion

Do we really need a reduced speed limit on Clifton Drive? This will not resolve the obvious reason for congestion.

The traffic lights on Highbury Road are not fit for purpose and this is the main reason. They cannot change sequence to adapt to the traffic. They are probably more than 40 years old.

I have seen it time and time again when the only traffic is queuing as far back as Squires Gate Lane and none in the other two directions. This causes extra pollution, wasted time and cost as without doubt hundreds of journeys are delayed. It is very frustrating to have a journey delayed by 15 minutes when the other directions are free flowing.

A reduced speed limit will not resolve this and may even make things worse.

It would, however, be sensible to ban parking on the east side of the road .

Geoff Race

St Annes

VIRUS

Mask is part of way back to ‘normal’

Unfortunately, the government has not been very good at handling the pandemic and it still isn’t.

A letter last week stated that masks have been proven to be ineffective. Perhaps this was in reference to a couple of journalists who are against wearing them, one of whom quoted a Danish study that revealed that a loose cloth mask was no protection against the virus. This is true, such as a scarf pulled over the mouth and nose will not stop this microscopic virus, if it is around, from going through.

A hospital mask however will catch droplets and moisture from coming through to the outside of the mask reducing the chance of infecting others. This mask will not stop a virus from coming through entirely and a higher grade of mask is needed because the virus hangs around in the air and could come through the sides if it is not fitted snugly enough.

Also, a charcoal filter helps to prevent the virus from entering or leaving the mask. Dr. Phil Hammond reckons masks in crowded places reduces transmission by 20 per cent in crowded places and 50 per cent if vaccinated.

Some columnists are saying let’s learn to live with the virus and get back to normal. Fine words but what if you die?

The way to get back to normal is to get vaxed, wear a mask in crowded places among people you don’t know, and wash your hands or sanitize them. For instance, if you have been handling goods in a shop don’t then touch your eyes or nose or mouth. Most food workers will know about that from their hygiene certificates. Eventually, through precautions, vaccination, and the Herd Immunity that Dr. Sneh Gupta tells us will happen then perhaps it will not be as deadly as it still is now.

Sam Norris

Address supplied

PROTEST

An irony of call for insulation in UK

Isn’t it ironic that the people who demand we “insulate Britain” against the cold, do so because they think there will be catastrophic global climate heating?

Nick Martinek

Address supplied

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