Your letters - May 29

Dirty protest

ON Wednesday May 20, my friend and I had to use the public toilets in Devonshire Square,opposite the post office, to change my 14-week-old baby`s nappy and my friend's 34-week- old child`s nappy, but unfortunately we couldn't as a lovely resident/visitor of Bexhill had found the need to use some faeces to cover the wall of one of the toilet cubicles.

The stench was disgusting and I was nearly sick, as I guess most people were who went in there.

I would like through your paper to say a big thank you to that person for not only taking one of the few public toilets in Bexhill out of use, but also to show our children of the town how NOT to respect our town.

And another thing I would like to know is do they treat their own toilets at home like that?

The person who did this should be ashamed to be called a Bexhillian!

N LITTLEJOHN AND S BOURNE

Crowhurst Lane

Bexhill

Is Greg still the man?

SHOULD our MP Greg Barker be permitted to represent us at the next general election?

Three years ago whilst appearing to be a happily married family man he was found to be having an extra-marital affair. Now he has been found to be caught up in the expenses scandal and has been in the national papers for all the wrong reasons.

Add to these that although he is the shadow climate change minister he actually supports the proposed Link Road and the thousands of domestic and commercial properties that will accompany it.

This development will replace carbon-fixing "green sites", namely countryside and farmland, with bricks and concrete,and will introduce thousands of extra carbon-producing vehicles into the area.

Obviously just the thing to do if you want to assist climate change!

Is this man really the best person to represents us at Parliament?

ALAN DUGAN

Grangecourt Drive

Bexhill-on-Sea

Vote next week

I READ your article last week concerning our MP Mr Barker, the odd little man who insults us by averring that he would never refund a penny of the alleged fraudulent expense claims. And his selection committee stays schtum?

Fellow citizens, you have your vote and the chance to make a start at the June 4 elections,

J ALLEN

Haslam Crescent

A much-missed friend

RECENTLY I had to make the sad decision to have my lovely boxer Molly put down.

I know there are worst troubles in the world, however anyone who has owned a well-loved animal knows how hard it is to come to terms with the dreadful feeling of loss and mixed emotions that perhaps you have betrayed this member of the family.

I would like to say thank you to relatives, friends and neighbours for the kindness shown to me and my family now Molly is no longer a popular and well-known figure around the town.

Also especially to Stephen White of Claremont Veterinary Group and his entire staff for the wonderful support they have given me and my numerous dogs over the years and, of course, more recently for their compassion and care for my dear boxer Molly.

JOYCE HUMPHREY

Reginald Road

Bexhill

CSA has left me broke

I WAS outraged when I read your article about the CSA in the Observer on May 15.

I am one of the "absent parents" and I feel the Child Support Agency has too much power!

The examples that were given in the article were the epitome of the CSA. I'm not surprised that the mother who received a payment of 56,000 was crying, I would too, it's better than winning the lottery!

Did anyone think to ask what happened to the absent parent? Is he now destitute? Homeless or worse? And the teenager that was upset about not having the money to go to South Africa on a school trip. South Africa? I ask you!

I was lucky to go to Drusillas on a school trip! This sort of thing most families, I suspect, could not afford anyway!

I am not the only one, I'm sure, who is now living on the breadline all thanks to the CSA. My case was delayed initially for 12 months. After which time the demand for the arrears that had built up was to be paid (a sum of around 6,000), this was settled. However since then there have been nothing but demands and, yes, I had been avoiding them in the past because of the ludicrous amounts they demanded and as such there is now a court order in place to take the maintenance directly from my wages each month. Which leaves me enough money left over to exist. That's all, just exist.

I have tried to get help and advice from the Citizens Advice Bureau only to be told there's nothing that can be done. The CSA itself was not forthcoming when I asked for help either.

I also have contact with my child who now lives more then 300 miles away and I still have to find the money to meet and to collect her, feed and entertain my child for the school holidays.

I applied for what they call a departure, allowance to the rest of us and was refused any reduction on the grounds that it doesn't cost more than 15 a week to keep my child! If people knew what the CSA actually does then they would be appalled!

Please, don't misunderstand me, I think the idea of the Child Support Agency is right, however, the methods they employ leave a lot to be desired! I also think that most absent parents want to be able to support their children, send them on school trips etc but the policies of the CSA prevent that.

I urge all couples on the brink of splitting up, think of your children and do not involve the CSA. Make your own arrangements. I wish I had!

I would like you to note that my mother kindly lent me the computer to enable me to write this letter.

I WRIGHT

Jameson Road

Bexhill

Police bullying

I THOUGHT I was mild-mannered and had a good sense of humour until 11.15pm on May 9.

It all began 10 minutes earlier after leaving a dance at The Memorial Hall Stone Cross. I joined the A27 at the Pevensey Roundabout and followed a queue of four cars driving sedately towards Bexhill. A car dropped in behind me and when the road was clear it roared off at high speed to overtake all five cars. I thought I would follow in my Honda Type R as it has acceleration of 60mph in six seconds.

I caught the overtaking car and followed it at a reasonable distance until I reached the 50mph limit, for road repairs, and slowed to comply. The other car ignored it. My curiosity was aroused and in the distance it turned left into the country road leading to Ninfield. I followed to go to Crowhurst. It was waiting to turn right into the Lamb Public House. I continued on my way observing speed limits at Hall Cross, Hooe Common and Russell Green. I have a keen sense of road awareness and became aware of another car following me.

I then was made more aware that the car was in fact a police car when its headlights started flashing. I pulled over to my left, stopped my car and turned off the engine. I left the parking lights on and stepped out of the car (I was dressed entirely in black for the dance). I met a policeman walking towards me.

I asked: "Why have you stopped me?"

He said: "You were flashing your lights."

He put his head near my open door and said: "I can smell alcohol Mr Varney."

I replied: "You can't smell alcohol. Oh, do you know me?"

He said: "I got your name off the computer. I can smell perfume."

I explained: "I have been dancing '“ the ladies wear perfume I don't wear any."

He demanded to know: "Why were you flashing your lights?"

I replied: "Because I live in the country at Crowhurst and there are horses and cyclists on bendy roads."

It was obvious to me that the shortcut to Ninfield from the A27 was a winding country lane full of blind bends which I was using for the second time. He then started telling me he was going to give me a breath test and I reassured him I had not been drinking.

At that point he warned me he would arrest me if I continued to interrupt him. Up to that point I thought we were having a conversation. I realised by then I was being harassed. I buttoned my lip until there was silence. He explained how I was to be tested by blowing into the tube until he said stop which I did as instructed. The test was obviously clear so he presented me with the white mouthpiece as if it were a trophy.

He then asked: "Have you got your driving licence?"

I replied: "Not on me."

He then demanded: "Have you a credit card?"

At that point I opened the boot of my car, unzipped the pocket of my bag and said: "It's all right I haven't got a gun," and handed him my debit card.

He took it, went to his car and returned it to me. I put my possessions away and he jumped into the passenger seat of his supercar, still flashing, and sped off leaving me there. The thought crossed my mind that no one with any common sense would drive up or down Gunters Lane in the dark without flashing their lights on and off to see.

Now, I am puzzled by police behaviour. The man was quite determined to put me in my place for no reason than to improve his police record or to envy my fast car as a member of the public. He treated me as he liked '“ as I was alone. It felt like psychological brow-beating.

I would say, more likely, it is that the police are following a new crime strategy (2,000 extra police) and on a new agenda to be more aggressive. If so, that would be interpreted by the public at large as arrogant and living in a police state.

I have to ask, in view of recent publicity, is this the new image the police want to betray? To say the least, I was saddened to be subjected to a rather unpleasant experience.

M VARNEY

Woodland Way

Crowhurst

Poetic tribute

OVER the years the Bexhill Observer has published many of my poems... as my writing now shows I am getting towards the end of my poetry writing. I have kept most of the cuttings in a small book, many of those now a little worse for wear, nevertheless still readable.

DR ROY WHITLOCK

Knole Road

Talitha Cumi

Dear child, why do you sleep

So long with ne'er a breath,

While those around you weep,

To see you so long feigning death?

Do you not feel the depth of love

Of those who stand beside your bed and say

Such ardent prayers that they may prove

Enough to keep your ills at bay?

While you in oblivion slumber deep

Within your guardian angels care

Do you not hear your loved ones weep

To see you lie so silent there?

So now dear maid, open wide your eyes,

And from your eternal slumber rise!

Vote down Next Wave bunch

I WOULD like to make a suggestion to all the people who live in Bexhill and who are against the Next Wave Regeneration. I went to the council meeting, when it was voted through by all of the Conservative councillors.

Now, I would suggest, to all the the people who normally vote Conservative, to show your displeasure by not voting for them this time round, perhaps as a protest vote. I thought it quite strange that nothing was mentioned about the Next Wave or the two carbuncles that stand on both corners of Sackville Road, but the link road was.

We don't need a link road Mr Ensor, we need a bypass to link the A21 at the top of Hastings, down to the Pevensey roundabout linking to the A27 on to the A22 to Eastbourne, instead of putting all the traffic through Little Common.

Now is that not more sensible or am I missing something here? That may suggest that the link road is an excuse for building a massive housing estate and new industrial sites.

MICHAEL BANNISTER

Windsor Road

Bexhill-on-Sea

We're not staying if Greg is

Copy of a letter sent to Conservative Party leader David Cameron

WE have just received your letter headed "Vote for a change on June 4"

We shall be voting for the Conservatives in our county council and Euro elections but we shall not be voting Conservative at a General Election if Mr Gregory Barker is the candidate.

We were very disappointed to learn about the expenses he has claimed. When our local paper appeared, he said he would not be paying back any money but, on the same day, in the Telegraph, he said he would be paying back money. Which one does he want us to believe? Indeed, we do not believe him at all.

We were amongst the Conservative Party members who voted to select Gregory Barker as our candidate and we clearly remember him telling us how much he valued Conservative Party beliefs, in particular the importance of families and marriage. It was therefore particularly disillusioning when he appeared before our Executive Committee to tell us that his marriage was over. That evening what he told us was disingenuous and at times, downright lies. At that time, he destroyed our trust and respect in him.

Our local constituency chairman says that Gregory Barker has his support. Well, we can tell you that he must be one of the few that is supporting Barker. Most local people want him de-selected immediately.

David Sheppard has been a member of the Conservative Party for 58 years, a local Councillor, Leader of the Conservative Council in the London Borough of Brent and a loyal and staunch supporter and worker for the local party.

Angela has been a local Conservative Councillor in the London Borough of Brent, Chairman of a major Committee, Mayoress and Deputy Chairman of the Brent North Conservative Association as well as supporting, raising money and working for the party in Bexhill. Neither of us has renewed our membership this year in protest against Gregory Barker.

The officers and agent of our Conservative Association appear to support Gregory Barker because they are unwilling to speak out against him or take on the work involved in de-selection and reselection. We shall, therefore, with deepest regret not be supporting the Conservative Party in the next General Election although we want the Conservatives to win and for yourself to become Prime Minister.

ANGELA AND DAVID SHEPPARD

Hazel Grove

Bexhill-on-Sea

What would Jesus do?

HOW typically arrogant of militant atheists like P Adams to write such a mean-spirited attack on Mr Minter's references to God.

If more people tried to behave as Christ preached 2,000 or so years ago, we wouldn't have had to put up with Mr Hall's greedy proposed jet ski development at Herbrand Walk (now thankfully rejected) '“ or witness the appalling avaricious behaviour of our elected representatives both in the Commons and the House of Lords.

I suggest that Mr Adams should reacquaint himself with Christ's teachings against greed and corruption '“ and stop believing that mankind has the answer to everything!

TONY HAMMOND

Gillham Wood Road

Bexhill-on-Sea

Landfill rumours are rubbish

IT HAS been brought to my notice that some people in Little Common (and other areas) are under the idea that the brickworks in Turkey Road could soon be used as landfill as there is no other site in East Sussex.

This is not true as an incinerator is being built at this moment in Peacehaven and should be up and running in the not too distant future and would be able to take rubbish for all the area.

When the brickworks closes down (whenever that is) then we can ensure that it is used for the people of the area which is badly needed.

COUNCILLOR BRIAN GADD

Collington Lane West

Cooden

Bexhill

Allotment anger

IN REPLY to Mr Hayley-Barker's letter concerning the legal ownership of Rye's two remaining allotment sites, I can only say that like Rick, who famously went to Casablanca "for the waters" he has been misinformed.

Schedule 29 to the Local Government Act 1972 is explicit; only a parish council may lawfully run statutory allotments. In 2006 members of the Rye Allotments Association went to Lewes and obtained archivist-certified copies of entries in the minute books of Rye Borough Council. These minutes prove beyond all argument that the two allotment sites in Rye located in Love Lane and South Undercliff were up and running in 1884, and before 1893, respectively.

By the very fact of their existence, under the 1908 Act, they became statutory allotments.

The transfer of these assets to Rother District Council in 1976 was unlawful, and the courts have already held that an unlawful act concerning statutory allotments subsequent to 1908 does not remove the legal protection, as Daventry District Council, taken to court by Daventry Town Council in a case very similar to Rye's, has just learned to its cost.

Rother officials have designated the two sites as "undeveloped building land", and sold some of it to East Sussex County Council for the new primary school in Love Lane; the same planners incorporated the South Undercliff allotments into development policy RY3 published in 2007, as a site for the building of houses, two schemes for which were discussed in detail.

The threat of the scandal being exposed in the courts forced the planners to back down, but they still have a public footpath scheduled to go through the plots, not for public benefit but as a back-door method of asserting ownership.

Unless we make a stand now, we simply will not have allotments in a few years time, and the present generation of Rye town councillors will be as execrated as those of 1976. English law must not only be obeyed, but seen to be obeyed.

The Rye town councillors currently in office who want Parliamentary law obeyed are doing everything in their power to achieve this without the expense of going to court.

Some of these councillors have allotments and are as entitled to speak out on the subject as councillors with cars are allowed to have their say on car parking (another sore subject where Rother is concerned).

As for Councillor Mary Smith, her election manifesto of May 2008 was as open as can be imagined '“ a specific pledge to bring back as much planning to Rye as can be achieved '“ and she was swept into office with a public mandate to do just that.

ROYSTON GODWIN

Secretary

Rye Allotments Association

Plan confusion

GIVEN their outright refusal of the Herbrand Walk planning application, some readers may have considered that my criticisms of Rother planners (May 22) were unwarranted.

The explanation is that my letter was dated May 10 and intended for publication on May 15, before the meeting on May 21.

Since the main reason given by the planners for refusal was the site being outside the development boundary of the local plan, I cannot understand why this fundamental objection was not explained to the applicant during preliminary discussions in October.

Such advice may well have saved the 200 plus objectors, and the applicant, much trouble and expense.

Or was it the unprecedented level of public objections which brought about the final decision?

A fact revealed at the meeting was that the former owner of the 365 metres of foreshore offered it to Rother District Council for "a nominal sum", an offer which was rejected, prior to selling it to the applicant.

JOHN HODSON

Cooden Sea Road

Cooden

Bexhill

Proper art

I WOULD just like to say how much I enjoyed the art exhibition at the DLWP over the weekend.

No, I don't mean Seascape or Things Fall Apart, on display to almost empty galleries when I visited.

I mean the excellent exhibition put on by The Bexhill Art Association in the little gallery tucked around the side.

This one was full of enthusiastic appreciative people and an excellent display of paintings all produced by local artists. The paintings would probably not appeal to every one as the subjects were generally recognisable and tastefully portrayed.

I was amazed to learn that they were being charged, I believe 800 to hire the studio, and that they were raffling a painting to try and raise the necessary funds.

I think that the DLWP should be paying them for putting on a display which I am sure has a much wider appeal to the average Bexhillian (who I believe together contribute 500,000 per annum to the DLWP), than those on display in the Pavilion galleries.

TIM ROSNER

Marina

Bexhill-on-Sea

Don't trust Ukip

MANY of those disgusted with the politicians and their inflated and sometimes fraudulent expenses might be tempted to register a protest by voting for Ukip. If so they should think again! Ukip are just as bad as Lib/Lab/Con!

It appears that Nigel Farage, MEP for the South East Region and Ukip leader in the EU Parliament, recently claimed after a refreshing lunch with Denis MacShane, former Labour Minister for Europe, that he had availed himself of "more than 2 million in expenses" in his 10 years in the European Parliament. Perhaps Denis imagined this staggering disclosure would take the heat off his own outrageous expenses claims in Parliament?

Who can forget Tom Wise who was caught on film by an undercover reporter boasting of the "shedloads of money" he made in his "cushy" job as an Ukip MEP?

It certainly shows Ukip is little different to the other bloated and venal politicians. I shall register a protest vote on June 4 but not with Ukip!

KEITH STANDRING

Amherst Road,

Bexhill-on-Sea

Use it or lose it

DAVID Routeledge (Letters, May 22) laments the proposed closure of St Barnabas Church, and the likely redevelopment in its wake, but his letter would also appear to indicate that he himself is not a member of its congregation.

Churches are ultimately about people, not buildings or cultural monuments, and like most things, have to pay their way.

Surely there cannot be a clearer cut case of "use it or lose it"?

RICHARD MADGE

College Road

Bexhill on Sea

Beware hut raiders

THIS Bank Holiday my beach hut was broken into for the third time.

Police assistance was helpful and speedy, the result being a comprehensive report, inspection of the beach hut and fingerprints taken. It was pleasing to hear that the police have been successful in catching the culprits of recent beach hut vandalism.

The police advise all incidents of beach huts vandalism to be reported. Number to contact is 0845 6070999 or 01273 404000.

MARIAN RIGBY

Fryatts Way

Bexhill

They'll grab anything

ONE thing is certain, it wouldn't have been a politician who handed Mrs Warburton's lost purse in to the Lloyds TSB.

DEREK DULY

Newlands Avenue

Bexhill-on-Sea