Stores’ policy on alcohol is senseless

Sep 26 2007 by Kevin Core, Birkenhead News

I AGREE that alcohol policy in some supermarkets is silly. Around three weeks ago in Tesco I bought a bottle of Baileys, and my sister and her friend, both 14, were with me.

I do often get asked for ID so had my driver’s licence, which I’ve had for 10 years, with me.

A security guard said because the girls had no ID I wouldn’t be served, and he told the check-out woman not to serve me.

After we argued the store manager came over and said the reason was I could have gone outside and given it to the girls.

That means anyone buying alcohol while shopping with a child could be asked the same thing - and even if that was the case the law would have to deal with me - not Tesco.

JO HARDMAN

BIRKENHEAD

Fly-tippers are facing legal action

RE THE story “Woman’s dying wish for land is unfulfilled”, only some of the houses in Barnhey Crescent actually border land which is owed by the council and has been left to them by Ada Florence Morley in 1963.

The land in question owned by the council does not border houses with any odd numbers until number 69 or 71 Barnhey Crescent.

Houses with lower numbers than this back onto privately owned land that has never been in council ownership.

There has been a considerable amount of trespass onto this land including the illegal dumping of waste and garden refuse by people who claim they are in ignorance of the fact that this land is in private ownership.

Landowners in question have in the past few weeks spent a considerable amount of time clearing rubbish tipped over the garden fences of several of these houses, and tell us they are no longer prepared to do this.

In future we intend to take recourse to legal action.

Having spoken to Cllr Kirwan, he is shocked to hear that residents have been dumping refuse onto the land, and sympathised with the plight of the innocent land owners.

Dumping any garden refuse onto land is actually fly-tipping, which is punishable by hefty fines, and can if it persist, result in the serving of an ASBO.

PAT WALLWORK

MEOLS

One law for rich?

SO, JOHN Walsby-Tickle the optician defrauded the NHS and cost the taxpayer hundreds of thousands of pounds yet escaped a jail sentence.

Spare a thought for the women and men who take a cleaning job while claiming Income Support.

It is not for a lavish lifestyle but very often to keep themselves and their children or grandchildren above the poverty line.

Not only do they pay every penny back but they often receive a jail sentence.

Could it be that John Walsby-Tickle has been shown leniency because he is educated and lives in a million pound house in Caldy?

One law for the rich, one law for the poor.

MOIRA WING

CLAUGHTON

Health confusion

I REFER to your article of September 5, titled, ‘Hospital Needs to be Supported’, in which you tried to explain a rather complicated new system of providing health services to the general public.

I for one (an ex NHS employee) am confused by the introduction of the Limited Liability Partnership (LLP), which will apparently provide some of our already obscenely overpaid GPs with extra income.

Frank Field MP has declared his interest in this matter (Letters Sept 12) and has offered to ‘debate these proposals in public’.

I for one would welcome this, if only to give me a better understanding how my ‘patient care’ will improve under yet another new system of healthcare provision.

Whatever the answer, does Frank Field believe that the original sale of Miriam Medical Centre, was the best use of NHS, resources?

I look forward to Frank’s public debate.

GRAHAM MITCHELL.

HIGHER BEBINGTON

Imbecilic project

HOW fatuous it is of Councillor Smith to describe the once free-flowing St James roundabout as a race track.

This imbecilic project costing hundreds of thousands of pounds at least, not only reduced the traffic flow to a crawl during rush hour, but also created queues tens of yards long pumping out noxious fumes to the locality, whilst those impatient drivers would cut through the very narrow adjoining roads such as Arkle and Egan – ask the residents of these roads if they concur with you.

Also ask those living on St James' Church Rd how many times they are woken by the sound of blaring horns from drivers behind the lead car when the driver does not realise that the filter light gives them right of way.

Also there were five main roads accessing the roundabout, six if you include Sumner Road which was closed off many years ago.

Now there are four, Tollemache Rd, Laird St, Stanley Rd and Hoylake Road.

How is this classed as road improvements ?

These 'modifications' ensured that any traffic travelling up Corporation Road would now have to cut through other narrow roads in order to continue their journey.

I have lived in the north end all my life and the only incident I am aware of is a man who tried to kill himself by driving at speed down Tollemache Road and crashing into the entrance of the Church (twice).

I'm not sure if the second attempt was successful, but obviously the first wasn't.

It is, apparently, the argument that any road safety modifications should only take place if there is at least one fatality.

The only fatalities I'm aware of at St James' church are the many funerals I've attended and observed at this Protestant sanctuary, whose sandstone is being turned blacker by the day by the fumes of the waiting drivers, but hey, at least the parishioners have a nice car park.

PHIL GRIFFITHS

BIRKENHEAD

Help us to help you

CANCER is a huge problem and many of your readers may know that one in three people will be affected by the disease at some point in their lives.

Residents in this region have access to one of the country’s leading cancer treatment centres – Clatterbridge Centre for Oncology.

The hospital provides specialist radiotherapy and chemotherapy services and delivers more than 112,000 treatments to patients every year.

Last summer the hospital gained Foundation Trust status, which means that it has new levels of accountability to the local community.

Part of this change has meant the formation of a new Council of Governors, made up of elected representatives from the whole region.

I have been elected to represent Wirral and Wales on this Council of Governors.

As governors we work with the hospital on its strategic plans, enhancing the patient experience, helping with fundraising and scrutinising finances.

We also want to ensure that cancer services are developed in a way that reflects the needs of local people.

As a Governor, I am available to visit community groups, local businesses and other organisations to explain more about the work of the centre.

I would be delighted to hear from any group or individual who would like to learn more about Clatterbridge Centre for Oncology and I can be contacted on 0151 482 7799 or by emailing andrea.leather@ccotrust.nhs.uk.

I look forward to hearing from you.

SUE RAMSEY,

CLATTERBRIDGE CENTRE FOR ONCOLOGY GOVERNOR FOR WIRRAL AND WALES

Lessons to learn

RECENTLY a friend of mine from Africa stayed with me for two weeks.

It was his first visit to the UK and he was particularly interested in a nursing home near my flat in Birkenhead.

I happen to know that this establishment is run to a very high standard, but when I explained the purpose of the place he was appalled.

He said: “In my country we would never think of hiding our grandparents away like this.

“Our elders are extremely respected members of the family and we keep them among us, their wisdom and experience are valued and venerated.”

His country is in turmoil yet the people there still find time to care for their elderly relatives.

Africa is a troubled continent, but that doesn’t preclude us from learning lessons from it.

RC O’BRIAN

BIRKENHEAD