LETTERS TO THE EDITOR


Give youths a chance Dear Sir –I was slightly offended by some- thing I read on the Letters to the Editor page in the Downs Mail last week under “Move on gangs of youths”. I was shocked to see that someone found a group of teenagers at a photo booth in the shopping mall to be “intimidating”. I would like to make readers aware that


just because you find youths intimidating, it does not mean they mean to be. Society today makes youths appear rough and reck- less, but this is not what most young people are like. Being only 15 years old myself, I am one


of these youths that people have a problem with. I do not understand this at all. I give up


my seat on buses for elderly people, I smile and chat to my elders and I try to be as po- lite as I possibly can to everyone I meet in town. Yet many of my elders stick their noses up at us, like we are at the bottom of the heap. I see some adults swear and throw litter


on the floor – you aren’t entirely innocent! Youths should not be a problem on the streets. Does this mean we are not allowed outside, to have social lives, and to shop? Those youths around one of the photo boothsmay have been using it, or they may just have been using it as a place to sit and rest instead of in the middle of the walking space. The security guard didn’t move them on because he didn’t see them as a problem; they weren’t breaking it or being public menaces. Youths may at first appear intimidating,


but if you walk over to them, and ask to use the facilities then they surely would move, and do so politely. Please don’t judge people just because of their age. Thank you.


Naomi Fenton, by email


‘Garden’ county needs trees Dear Sir – I was shocked when looking through the most recent issue of the Downs Mail to see the number of articles dis- cussing the felling of trees in the area. A grand total of five of your articles were discussing this issue, and I am appalled. Kent is supposed to be the “Garden of England”. How can this be true if we sim- ply rid our county of its trees? I think the Kentish countryside is a very important part of our culture and there is no need to be re- moving the county’s beloved trees. Furthermore, in a time when we are sup-


posed to be becoming greener and being more conscious of our environment, who thought that it would be a good idea to cut downmore trees when in Britain we are al- ready having a crisis about the depletion of our countryside? I think this is a travesty and should be


You can write to us at: Downs Mail, Forge House, Bearsted Green Business Park, Bearsted, Maidstone, ME14 4DT or e-mail: stephen@downsmail.co.uk


being looked into with seriousness by the council, not simply ignored and allowed. Kyle Davies, Bearsted


Yellow lines not the answer Dear Sir – Paul Clarke’s letter regarding the obstruction to pedestrians caused by badly parked cars in Impton Lane and the missing lengths of footway raises a number of is- sues. We sympathise with Mr Clarke and his fellow residents. The fact that parking on verges and footways seems now to be com- monplace everywhere will, I know be of lit- tle consolation. Nor, perhaps, is the knowledge that our PCSO reports serious cases for possible further action. The suggestion of double yellow-lining


the entire road is interesting but would, I fear, cause the numerous side-turnings to become clogged up. Mr Clarke is entitled to his view of the traffic-calming measures on Walderslade Woods road, but it was other residents who petitioned for something to be done. The parish council then fought a long battle but, once agreed, the cost of the entire project was met by KCC, not the parish. The traffic islands have succeeded in practically eliminating the previous dan- gerous overtaking at the junctions con- cerned. As regards the two missing lengths of footway at the ends of the road, the position is that we put a great deal of time and effort into trying to have these constructed, but were defeated by problems of land-owner- ship and diversion of utility services. The escalating cost was only a secondary factor in our having to defer the project. It re- mains on our wish list.


Ivor Davies, chairman, Boxley Parish Council


Dog owners ‘irresponsible’ Dear Sir – I sympathise with Mr Giles over the growing problem of dog fouling, and clearly action is long overdue, although I doubt publishing photos of offenders would be allowed. The fact is, of course, that a significant proportion of dog owners are clearly not in the “responsible” category. Youonlyhavetolookaroundany com- munity – Bearsted is certainly not unique – to see that many pets are overweight, clearly fed a wrong diet and under-exercised. A walk of a few hundred yards on a lead once a day, weather and owner’s mood permit- ting, is completely inadequate for any ani- mal. Dogs need to be allowed to run! If they are unconcerned about their pets’


state of health, irresponsible owners are un- likely to be receptive to pleas to clean up after them, even though they may be aware that organisms in canine faeces pose serious health risks, particularly to children. What is needed is a serious fine of, say, £1,000 – not UP to £1,000 – and some fear of being caught.


In the meantime, those such as Mr Giles


and I, together with the myriad of other ex- asperated and disgusted citizens up and down the country must, it seems, just grin and bear it. Ed Egan, IvensWay, Harrietsham


Thanking the ‘angel’ Dear Sir – I would like to thank a lady who helped me after I was involved in a car crash inWare Street, Bearsted. I was travelling towards Maidstone at


11pm on March 17, when I was involved in a head-on collision with a vehicle that had come from New Cut, writing off my car. The first thing I heard after the accident


was a lady coming in and saying everything would be okay. She was talking to me. She said she was a nurse in Maidstone. She stayed with me for 20 minutes or so


and mademe feel relaxed. She had children in her car and she said she was going home, so I assumed she lived in Bearsted. She told police what she knew and then


left. I want to thank this lady for helping me. I don’t remember her face. I just re- member her coming in and holding my hand. She made me feel really brilliant. She was like an angel in the night-time.


She came out and helped me so much. KeithWatts, Sheridan Close, Ringlestone,Maidstone


Getting pub facts straight Dear Sir – I am concerned having read the letter in your May edition, “Pub survey doesn’t ring true”. The only survey in recent years was con- ducted by some of the village stalwarts, as part of the village plan, and from memory this was in late 2005/2006, when 83% of households responded to a comprehensive survey. The Harrow owners have used a selective


part to try to support their case, so I can un- derstand the laughter. However, I thought the writer was trying to support the case for the owners of the Harrow. The article from the April edition referred to the Harrow owners’ recent proposals,which have since been refused by Maidstone Council. The various applications submitted by the Harrow owners have been through the full democratic process with parish and bor- ough councils and a government inspector, not forgetting reviews and decisions by the planners and planning committee. Indeed, one planning application was ap- proved but not progressed by the owners. All the applications and associated docu-


ments (including the petitions) are docu- ments of public record. The reasons for the owners’ failure were assessed as being very different from that suggested by the writer. I do not recall the writer of the letter being involved in mat- ters, but would happily help them with such a clear misunderstanding of the facts. James Humphrey, The Street, Ulcombe


DownsMail In touch with your parish


Bredhurst Council Playground sign


COUNCILLOR Nichola Carr had obtained a suitable sign banning dogs from the playground. Jim Chalmers offered to put the sign up on the fence. The meeting heard that speed


limit roundels would cost £100 each. It was decided to ap-


proach KCC and ask how many roundels would be needed where, and how they should be painted, before making a deci- sion. Cllr Carr said Kent Highways


had said it might be possible to have the lighting amendments done at no cost to the parish council. This would include the removal of five old and out-


dated lights attached to tele- graph poles, the column outside Manor Farm, and a swan neck lamp to be installed by the build-out near Camelia. Cllr Vanessa Jones said she


had received a response from Maidstone Council about the poor standard of the monthly in- spections reports.MBC had pro- posed to move the buffer tyres


Visit Downs Mail’s website — downsmail.co.uk


on the aerial slide out by one metre which would allow the slide to be put back into use. Cllr Jones was to reply that the coun- cilwas disappointedwith the re- sponse given. She suggested that the parish council should con- sider paying for training so that four volunteers could undertake theweekly inspections on a rota basis, so MBC would no P62


East 51


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