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One man is not enough

It is not a commonly known fact that the government has directed that all pre-1949 footpaths and rights of way in Britain must be recorded or they will be extinguished by the deadline of 2026.

Most footpaths are marked on old maps and if they have been used, they can be saved for future generations. All recorded footpaths should have a number. If anyone has any questions regarding this, contact the Ramblers Association for information.

Given that this directive has incurred much paperwork, I find it unreasonable that Swindon Borough Council has only one, very hard-working, footpath officer, Martin Fry, who can only work for six hours per week and cannot cope with the whole of the borough on his own.

As the council are supposed to be working for the people of the borough and protecting our rights including our Commons Rights, then surely this must be addressed.

Chris Hinton, The Marsh, Lower Wanborough

Don’t lose your heads

Following England’s win, I note that there is more than the usual amount of morons in the crowds who are watching at different venues. The sunshine and the occasion, coupled with beer, seems to make some people lose their minds.

There are the mindless idiots who climbed on the ambulance car to celebrate and one press picture showed a young girl standing on the top of the car. That young lady and others who are recognised by video should be made to pay for the repair and the loss of resources.

We need to celebrate, but too many people are showing up as complete idiots. Maybe a loss in the semi-final will calm them down... or make them want to fight everybody.

Chris Gleed, Proud Close, Purton

Thanks to rescue staff

I had a bit of an adventure with a little swiftlet during the week. He fell from his nest and I found him in the yard.

He had a real desire to live and I fed him on half a worm and got some water down his throat and put him in a box. I decided he had to get to the nearest wild animal rescue centre.

After a 45-minute drive to the Oak and Furrows wildlife rescue centre near Cricklade he was looked after by the very able staff lead by Katia. And, you know what, he is going to be fine! Nice afternoon’s work, and huge thanks to Oak and Furrows.

Dr Brian Mathew, Councillor for Box and Colerne

Let’s play fair

Britain beat Colombia on 3rd July to reach the quarter finals of the World Cup.

Of course it was good news, the whole country was excited by this victory and we should all feel very proud of our team.

But winning is not everything, it is also important to play fair.

The tactics used by Colombia were violent and dangerous and it could have ruined someone’s career.

We all want England to do well, but it is more important to play fair and make sure that what we do is a good advertisement for the future of football.

Steve Halden, Beaufort Green, Swindon